Decades ago, the first Dublin High School homecoming parade strolled down Village Parkway. On Friday, October 22nd, the annual tradition was carried on again. As silence descended onto the parkway, the sound of rustling tree leaves gave way to the marches of the Irish Guard marching band, preparing for the parade’s expedition from Dougherty Valley Boulevard to Dublin High School’s parking lot. 

And so, the parade began. A single police car strolled down the street, guiding the parade attendees down the street. Now, it is not often that people can say that they have had a police escort, but in this particular matter, a Homecoming royalty court member was given a police escort while sitting on the trunk of a luxury car. 

Then, with crowds cheering on the narrow sidewalk, the DHS Color Guard, clad with shields individually spelling out D-U-B-L-I-N led the annual parade down the thoroughfare to the high school. As the Color Guard  progressed forward on their march, they were followed by those bearing mock rifles in hand. With such ease, they spun the paper rifles high into the air and back down upon them, making rhymetic synchronized moves with every step towards the school. Behind them, blue, silver and red flags almost imitated that of the rifles.

Following the Color Guard came the famous Irish Guard marching band. With their red and dark navy blue uniforms, row after row of golden colored instruments played outstanding music as they marched along. 

Trumpets, saxophone, flutes, and drum players gave the parade a great serenade of carefully orchestrated music, which seemingly gave the viewer a sense of awe and grandiose scale.

“Seeing the grandness of the parade by that time, I was just at a feeling of ‘woah’. I guess that it set a standard for the rest of the parade!” wrote freshman Alyx Clemmensen, in a response to the Dublin Shield.

The great booming serenade of the band gave way to roaring applause from the audience. Expensive cars slowly followed the band, some with their doors open to boast their interior! This was followed by a vintage pickup truck, whose 1950s aesthetic and concise size led to it quickly becoming some participants favorites. 

“That ‘50s Chevrolet; that was a cute car. I suppose it was just the size, the look, and the beautiful paint scheme it was given that did it in for me. All of the other cars were nice, for they were modern and sleek but that one Chevrolet in the middle was my, and probably the audience’s favorite”, described car fan Jason Hu in response to his opinion of the truck. 

With the cars gone, the energetic and enthusiastic cheers of the cheerleaders replaced the sounds of the motor. They led the group with their metallic pompoms into chants and phrases that evoked the classic school pride. 

The diverse group of cheerleaders, with their gleeful shouts of school spirit, helped build up pride and nostalgia for the junior high and elementary schools that followed after it.  

Next, came the customary tradition of other DUSD schools participating in the parade. Wells Middle School was followed by John Green, Frederiksen, and finally Dublin Elementary. As each school passed, whoops and cheers from alumni could be heard.

“When Fallon [Middle School] came around, I just had to help myself in cheering. I was sitting next to a couple of students, who absolutely exploded into cheers when Wells [Middle School] came around too” reported freshman Denys Liptchinsky, who was watching from the sidelines. 

After a brief cameo by another vintage car, there came the moment everyone was waiting for: the floats. 

Each year, the classes choose a certain theme to base their float off of. First, came the Freshman class of 2025 whose theme was film night. Hauled by a white pickup truck, the float was incredibly detailed with references to modern and vintage films. Popcorn, pizza boxes, and strewn about soda cans amidst a bedroom setting set the stage for the intricate detail that was going into the floats!

Following the film night float, came class of 2024: the Sophomores. They built a float based off the theme fright night. The float was decorated with scenes of skeletons, murderers, ghosts, and ghouls! Tombstones, some broken by an apparent zombie’s bite lined the float. In the driver’s seat of the truck pulling them, was an especially creepy clown, peering out of the window as if they were reaching for the audience.

The Junior class of 2023 came next, with the theme of carnival night! A classic ferris wheel captured the eyes of the audience, as typical carnival music played in the background. Ahead of a wooden backdrop showing a dusk sky, tents and mock-games such as Duck Pond lined the float’s edge. Toys hung from one of the walls, almost like it was a real carnival. Some students followed behind in clown gear, which made for a good laugh. 

Next, came a certainly peculiar sight. Given the land-locked location and the fact that there are no navigable waterways into Dublin, it was certainly odd to see a pirate ship “sail” down Village Parkway. Looking like the Jolly Roger at its finest, the ship stood tall above the audience and other floats. In fact, it’s height was an issue as they almost hit numerous power lines that hung above the road!

But this was no real boat, for it was actually the senior float! With a theme of pirate night, they came marching behind the ship with fake swords and pirate gear. Chants of the class phrase “I believe that we will win!” burst periodically, as cheers were screamed for the great marvel that was the float.

And yet, once the float was gone, there came nothing more. With the seniors departed, and the street returned to an eerie silence, the parade had officially ended. This year’s parade had arguably set a standard for all future parades. One can only look forward till next year!
Till then, Gaels!