What a great parade!! Thank you to all that participated or came to help celebrate. Also thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the parade happen!!
Many more pictures are available at the following:
2024 Independence Day Parade | Flickr
Video coming soon here and on social media.
Special thanks to all of our sponsors for enabling our community projects with your support.
Click here to see an updated list of Sponsors
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PARADE AWARD WINNERS!
Antique/Classic Vehicle: Group: Volkswagen Club - Daniel Salazar
Individual: Firehouse Christmas Lights
Business Entry: 1st Pl - Ol South Pancake House
2nd Pl - Mainstay Farm, Park & Winery
3rd Pl - TIE: Burleson Crowley Farmers Markets & HR Construction
Civic/Non-Profit: Pathway Church
Equestrian: N.A.R.C. & S.P - Nat’l Assoc. of Riding Clubs & Sheriff’s Posse
Individual: Pure International Pageant
Club/Multivehicle: TIE: Texas Made Jeep Club & the Moslah Motor Corp.
Military: TIE: Arrowhead Chapter/Military Vehicle Preservation Assoc.
& the 45th Infinitry Division; WWII Living Historians
Pets: Top Dog Texas
School Group: Burleson & Centennial High School FFA
Sport Entry: Coerver Soccer
BEST FLOAT: 1st Place: Pathway Church
2nd Place: Cooter Browns
3rd Place: Ol South Pancake House
1945 2024
GET TO KNOW OUR 2024 PARADE GRAND MARSHAL! WORLD WAR II VETERAN RAY BYRAM!!
Ray was born on June 3rd, 1922. He spent his formative years in the Texas Panhandle.
Ray was drafted into the US Army in November 1942, at the age of 20. He officially entered the Army in January 1943 through the recruiting depot in Lubbock, TX. Ray served in the 782nd Tank Battalion as a Jeep driver for the duration of his military career.
During his training, Ray gained the nickname "Smilin' Jack" from his commanding officers. No amount of punishment would ever make him stop smiling. He always smiled and that's how everyone knew him. Nobody really knew his name, just Smilin' Jack!
Ray trained at Ft. Sill, OK; Camp Campbell, KY; Fort Knox, KY; Camp Cook, CA; and Point Loma, CA; He departed for his overseas duties from Ft. Bragg, NC, through New York City to Le Harve France aboard the USS Henry Gibbons in January 1945. The last thing Ray recalls seeing when he was leaving on the ship was the Statue of Liberty as they left the harbor. The trip to Le Harve, France took 17 days.
Ray's overseas service took him through France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Czechoslovakia during WWII.
Ray returned to the United States through Le Harve, France in June 1945. The return trip only took six days.
Ray was discharged as a Corporal on the 21st of January 1946.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, RAY!!!
More information and online registration for sponsors and participants: