LANSDALE – School and holiday spirit plus candy is the equation to a perfect parade, and the Lansdale community demonstrated exactly that on Saturday, November 19th. The theme of the 66th annual Lansdale Mardi Gras parade was Toyland, and participants marched several blocks through downtown Lansdale starting at Main Street. The parade included everyone from little kids riding in wagons and receiving candy to students apart of the various North Penn teams and clubs to adults joining in on the excitement. The exceptionally warm weather for the middle of November along with all the candy made the parade that much sweeter.

Students in many of North Penn’s organizations got involved with the parade. The North Penn athletic department showed an outpouring of pride with teams such as the boys baseball team, the girls tennis team, the girls field hockey team, the North Penn cheerleaders, and more. Members of the band, the Knight Riders, and Key Club all participated as well. A wagon for Toys for Tots, Lansdale Kiwanis, and the North Penn School District Educational Services Center could be seen marching the blocks of downtown Lansdale also. Clubs and teams showed off their North Penn pride by wearing their uniforms and showcasing blue and white outfits. Some marched with signs while others had floats.

“The parade’s a great experience because you get to show your school spirit and reunite with your teammates and see the adorable children. This was my first year doing the parade and I can’t wait for next year because I loved seeing the smiles on the kids faces when I gave them candy,” expressed Madhu Williams, member of the girls varsity tennis team.

The parade is a fun, energetic event for those involved but there’s a lot of work behind the scenes that goes into organizing it. This work is done primarily by the block captains who put the event together and sign up participating groups. Vince Tilley is one of the block captains and is also a North Penn graduate from the class of ‘74.

“If anybody wants to talk to one of the staff members and understand how the parade is run, it’s good organizational management skills for the students so when they’re growing up if they want to go into that type of field, it helps them with management business,” explained Tilley about viewing the parade as an opportunity to learn about business and organization.

The parade was a great time for everyone involved. Students that participated in the parade were able to spend an afternoon with their teammates and friends while getting involved with the community.

“The parade’s a great event for students to get involved in because it helps with the holiday spirit, and brings it into Lansdale,” said Tilley.