Summerlin’s 1st virtual patriotic parade goes online Saturday
Organizers are gearing up for the first virtual Summerlin Council Patriotic Parade in the event’s 26th year of bringing Fourth of July festivities to the area.
The council announced in May that the parade would be held virtually due to coronavirus concerns, and it is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at SummerlinPatrioticParade.com. Parade organizers gathered in the Trails Park on Thursday morning, accompanied by Uncle Sam and Summerlin Sam mascots, to kick off the virtual celebration.
Coming on the heels of its 25th anniversary last year — touted as the largest parade yet with over 40,000 in attendance — this year’s virtual parade experience will be smaller and more intimate but still packed with the community spirit of parades past, said organizer and participant Troy Gallo.
“There is still the same amount of performances, and the pageantry is still there,” Gallo said. “It was important to us that we have the same connection that we had in years past with this virtual parade.”
Gallo has grown up with the parade, working for 15 years primarily on the floats. But this year, he said those who have worked on the parade longest needed to step up their game to deliver a festive experience under extreme circumstances. He took on a greater responsibility of creating and writing scripts for many of the segments featured in the 30-minute virtual parade.
He said a few floats will still be featured, but the main focus will be shifted toward performances by community groups, such as the Desert Angels gospel choir, and messages from local celebrities.
Among the list of notable names are Jimmy Kimmel, Elaine Wynn, Las Vegas Aces player A’ja Wilson, and Golden Knights Nate Schmidt and Alec Martinez, who will all be delivering a “powerful anthem” of hope for the city of Las Vegas, Gallo said.
He added that videos from Summerlin residents showing how they’re celebrating the holiday will be included in the parade, along with footage of a mini-parade the council held to thank health care professionals at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center, teachers and Las Vegas police officers for their work during the pandemic.
“It really is a fun way for the family to start the Fourth of July,” said Summerlin Council member Tommy Porrello. “It’s got a patriotic feel, a very energetic, enthusiastic, uplifting feel in the performances and something we think is a great way to honor the tradition we’ve created through the years.”
Over 350 American flags also were placed throughout Summerlin as a part of the parade’s filming, which Porrello hoped would remind people of the parade’s tradition and patriotism.
The parade will be available to view after the initial 9 a.m. screening, but Gallo said he hopes people will tune in when it begins, creating a shared feeling of the community watching the parade unfold.
“What made it easy was that we knew that this was needed,” Gallo said. “If we could pull this off and get a virtual parade together that captured the same energy and celebration of the parade, we knew it would be worth it and lift spirits in a time when we all need it.”
Contact Amanda Bradford at abradford@reviewjournal.com. Follow @amandabrad_uc on Twitter.
