Rain on our parade: Soggy Peach Parade does not dampen peach spirit in Clanton
Published 10:40 am Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Little Miss Peach Queen Ava Bradley braces for the rain under an umbrella. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Jemison High School marching band plays through the pouring rain. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Young Miss Peach Queen Ellie Harrison and her court braving the elements. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The grand marshal of the Peach Parade Mark McKinnon. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Junior Miss Peach Queen Cambree Crumpton and her court make their way through downtown Clanton. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Clanton cheerleaders wave to the crowd. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Miss Peach Queen Lexie Deavers and her court. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Swedish Festival Queens participated in the county-wide showcase. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Little Miss Peach Queen Ava Bradley and her court brave the rain. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Chilton County High School dance team performing during the Peach Parade. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Chilton County Miss Relay for Life Queens throw candy to the parade viewers. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
A Clanton youth softball player winds up for a candy throw. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Miss Blackberry Queens wave to the crowd in downtown Clanton. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The Miss Chilton County Queens during the Peach Parade. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor
While the skies were unkind to the Peach Parade in Clanton on June 29, that did not dampen the crowd’s spirit to celebrate the county’s peach industry. Hundreds of people lined the streets of downtown Clanton to see the sights and sounds of the 2024 parade.
The procession featured the newly crowned Peach Queens, other queens from around Chilton County, marching bands from Chilton County, Jemison and Verbena High Schools, classic cars, horses and more.
The parade was slated to begin in downtown Clanton at 9 a.m. on June 29, and pop-up showers were scattered across central Alabama in the early morning. The parade rolled on time, but by the time the leaders got halfway through the route, the skies opened up and the rain arrived. The queens took cover under umbrellas, bowls and anything they could get some relief from the rain, and everyone on the route was drenched by the end of the parade.
However, the weather did not put out the enthusiasm of those in the parade or those watching, as candy was thrown the whole time, everyone was waving and they were not in a hurry to get to the end. Another way the Chilton County community came together during the Peach Festival to rally behind the peach industry.
