BENTONVILLE -- The homecoming parade is coming home after a decade-long absence.
The parade is scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 15. It will begin at Eighth and South Main streets and proceed north to the downtown square. It will end on Northeast Third Street. It's the same route followed by the annual Christmas Parade.
Bentonville Alumni Association
The association officially formed on Oct. 24, 2013. It works with both of the School District’s high schools and sponsors an annual alumni homecoming dance. It also provides scholarships for graduating seniors and food for children in two schools through the SnackPacks program. Visit www.AlumniBentonvil… for more information.
Source: Staff report
Homecomings of both of the School District's high schools will be celebrated. Bentonville High School's homecoming game is Oct. 21 against Rogers High School. West High School's homecoming game is tonight against Van Buren.
The Bentonville Alumni Association is organizing the parade, which was last held in 2005. Cindy Acree, a 1975 Bentonville High School graduate and association board secretary, remembers working on homecoming parade floats while she was in school.
"In those days it was a big community event, just like the county fair parade used to be," Acree said. "It brought the community together."
The city and School District have grown a lot since then, but that doesn't mean traditions must be sacrificed, Acree said.
"Once we start removing all of our traditions, we become like any other city and there's nothing special about us," she said.
The parade typically was held on the afternoon before the homecoming game. School District officials decided to cancel the 2006 parade because of scheduling changes that left little time between the end of the school day and the start of the game, according to newspaper reports at the time.
The parade is a staple of homecoming celebrations at high schools across Arkansas. Until this year, Bentonville was the only school district in Benton County that didn't have a homecoming parade. Rogers runs separate parades for Rogers High School and Heritage High School.
Octavio Sanchez, a Bentonville alderman, will serve as the parade's grand marshal. The association chose him for the honor because of the assistance he provided in getting the necessary approval from the city for the parade.
Sanchez said he was "totally surprised" by the offer to be grand marshal. He never attended Bentonville High School, but he has two children who graduated from the school in 1998 and 2003.
In order for a parade to be approved, there has to be an organization responsible for it. It also must have a purpose and some cultural value to the city. All of those requirements were met by Acree and the association, Sanchez said.
"I'm very pleased they have taken on this project because I'm confident it will be of benefit to the city," he said.
Jack Loyd is Bentonville High School's principal and an alumnus of the school. He worked on the senior float and the Future Farmers of America float for the 1982 parade when he was a senior, he said.
Loyd was an assistant principal at the school when the decision was made to cancel the parade. There was some discussion last year of bringing the parade back, but it didn't come together, he said.
"And then this year, Cindy Acree has really pushed it," Loyd said.
The issues that sank the parade a decade ago have been resolved, he said.
"We met with the Bentonville Police Department. They stepped in and helped us get the logistical part straightened out," Loyd said.
Entries are limited to School District student organizations, homecoming royalty, the association, public safety departments and government officials. No political campaigns or campaign materials will be allowed, according to a parade registration form. The registration fee is $20.
An anonymous donor is providing the money to cover the pay for 15 police officers for the event. The association also is providing 30 volunteers to help with traffic control, Acree said.
NW News on 09/23/2016