Marching Bands. The noise of the parades. The center of attention. From the percussion to the woodwinds, marching bands have always been a big part of the Labor Day Parade here in Palestine.

The PHS Junior High/High School band has been performing in this parade for years and hopefully will for many more to come.   According to  the American Memory website at  https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002961/#:~:text=The%20festival%20evolved%20from%20a%20fundraiser%20for%20a,other%20competitive%20games.%20In%201954%2C%20management%20of%20, the whole Labor Day festival started in 1950.

“The festival evolved from a fundraiser for a local youth center in 1950, when a group of Palestine citizens revived a railroaders’ Old Timers Picnic as a Labor Day celebration. The festival had a parade, a youth king and queen contest, a baseball tournament, and other competitive games. In 1954, management of the successful event was turned over to the chamber of commerce.”

While the rodeo was added later,  in 1967, the parade has been a staple of the Labor Day Festival from the very beginning.

Now the festival features a 2 hour parade, a Saturday morning chuck wagon breakfast, a Saturday flea market, and free entertainment on the bandstand that all goes along with the rodeo themed festivities.

The PHS band is not the only band to perform in the parade.  This year, the line-up included the following: Robinson Marching Maroons, Hutsonville Tigers, Oblong Panthers, and, of course Palestine Marching Pioneers.