This year’s Italian American Parade will be bigger and better with The Villages High School Band performing and 140 decorated golf carts taking part.
“It’s a big deal, because we haven’t had a school band before,” said Jackie Campbell of the Resident Parade Committee.
The event steps off at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Spanish Springs Town Square. The parade staging area has been moved to behind the Marriott TownPlace Suites.
Clown Alley 179 will be distributing flags prior to the event. Flags will also be passed out during the parade. In all, 1,000 American flags and 2,300 Italian flags will be distributed.
There will be more than 400 walkers in the Italian American Parade, including popular groups like the Village Cheerleaders, The Villages Twirlers and Drum Corps, Dynamic Dog Club, the Prime Time Twirlers, the Chatham Chicks, Sunshine Strollers and the Original Village Belly Dancers.
Parades have been kept alive by a determined group of volunteers who make up the Resident Parade Committee.
A little over two years ago, The Villages had planned to phase out parades at the squares and move instead to a single annual parade at the Villages Polo Fields.
But ethnic clubs — four Irish clubs, three Italian clubs and two German clubs — banded together and fought the decision.
The clubs are:
• Irish American St. Patrick Club
• Irish American Shamrock Club
• Irish American Claddagh Club
• Celtic Club
• The Original Italian American Club
• Italian American Club South
• Benvenuto Club
• German American Club
• Village Deutscher Club
The parade committee is made up of 15 members from the clubs. They do the planning and preparation. The parade committee has a vital partnership with the Recreation Department which lends its support to the parades.
There will be nearly 100 volunteers on duty for the parade. They will be wearing red T-shirts.
In two weeks, the Resident Parade Committee will present the German American Parade, also in Spanish Springs Town Square.
