Over five dozen Villagers earned some of the loudest cheers during a morning filled with marching and floats at this year’s Florida Citrus Parade.
The Villages Twirlers and Drum Corps showed up in force, with 65 members taking part in the parade festivities.
Watch the team in action here:
During the parade, many people in the stands cheered on the team with words of encouragement. “I hope I can do that at that age” was a common refrain that could be heard while they marched along.
This year, head Twirler Ann Pelle says the group was thrilled to come back, and flattered to receive a special invitation from Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer.
“This is the super bowl of parades for us each year, and we are so excited to be invited back for our seventh year” said Pelle. “It’s so exhilarating and it’s a beautiful day!”
Thousands of attendees lined the streets of Downtown Orlando bright and early, many there in support of the teams that are playing in the Citrus Bowl game (Louisiana State University and the University of Louisville).
This year’s parade featured grand marshal and former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George, who played professional football for the Tennessee Titans in their first official year as a new franchise.
The floats featured in the parade are entirely made of fruit, with staff laboriously working to make sure that not even a single orange is out of place.
For complete coverage of this year’s 2016 Florida Citrus Parade, tune into WFTV (or your local ABC affiliate) at 10:00 AM on Saturday, December 31, 2016!
