Community groups, local businesses, youth sports teams and civic organizations filled downtown Dixon May 9 for the 149th annual Dixon May Fair Parade. Chamber Manager Sara Echarte (pictured) said the parade remains one of the largest community events every year. Photo by Nicolas Brown

DIXON, CA (MPG) - Community groups, local businesses, youth sports teams and civic organizations filled downtown Dixon May 9 for the 149th annual Dixon May Fair Parade, continuing what organizers describe as the oldest continuously running parade in California.

The parade began at 10 a.m. and featured more than 140 entries, including marching bands, horse-mounted units, floats, classic cars, military groups and local organizations. The event coincided with the Dixon May Fair May 7-10.

“This was our 149th annual Dixon May Fair Parade,” said Sara Echarte, manager of the Dixon Chamber of Commerce. “It is the oldest running parade in the State of California.”

Echarte said the parade remains one of Dixon’s largest community gatherings each year.

“It brings everyone together in town,” she said. “Regardless of your interest, there is truly something for everyone in the parade.”

The Chamber of Commerce organized much of the event, coordinating parade entries, judges, staging, awards and traffic operations. Volunteers also assisted with parade logistics throughout the day.

“Our volunteers help primarily with staging all the entries in their right spot and helping with the flow of the parade moving through the staging area,” said Echarte.

She credited longtime volunteers Don and Wendi Hendershot for helping coordinate the parade lineup. Wendi Hendershot organized the full lineup for this year’s event, according to Echarte.

Additional volunteers included members of the Dixon Moose Lodge, the Elks of Vacaville and several community ambassadors and patrol teams.

“This year we also had some ambassadors step up and help,” said Echarte. “It takes a whole team.”

The parade route featured entries from local government agencies, including the Dixon Police Department and the Dixon Fire Department. Officer of the Year Jake Curry rode with the police department, while firefighter Andrew Tomelloso appeared alongside city council members aboard a fire truck.

Veterans organizations opened the parade, including Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8151 and American Legion Post 208, accompanied by color guards and military participants from Travis Air Force Base.

Youth organizations made up a large portion of the parade lineup. Teams from Dixon Girls Softball and Dixon Little League entered decorated floats accompanied by music, while the Dixon High School Band performed along the route with its drum major and color guard.

Horse-mounted units and vaquero groups also participated, including the Solano County Sheriff's Posse, Placer County 4-H Drill Team and riders from Rancho Alegre, Tijero Ranch and El Rancho Espiritu y Nobleza.

Commercial entries included local businesses such as Quick Quack Car Wash, Mountain Mike's Pizza and First Northern Bank, along with several local auto clubs and classic car owners.

Echarte said the parade allows businesses and organizations to support one another while connecting with residents.

“The parade is a great way to advertise your business, help support another business and come together as a community,” she said.

The parade also honored several community award recipients, including Business of the Year recipient Dawson's Bar & Grill, Veteran of the Year Martin DeVenuta, Coach of the Year Didi Cordova and Citizens of the Year Don and Wendi Hendershot.

For Echarte, the event reflected the close ties within the city.

“The Dixon May Fair Parade represents how special our little town really is,” she said. “It shows how important community and home really are.”

Echarte thanked residents, volunteers and city agencies for supporting the event and looked ahead to next year’s milestone celebration.

“I hope you all had a great time and are ready for year 150 next year,” she said.

For more information, visit the Dixon Chamber of Commerce on Facebook or call 707-678-2650.