The 87th annual American Royal Parade will take place
on Saturday, September 29th along Grand Boulevard - Downtown. The official
2012 theme is “The American Royal, Kansas City, and American Agriculture Pay
Tribute to the American Military.” The event is expected to be the Kansas
City region’s largest modern day parade dedicated to thanking the American
military for their service. This year’s Grand Marshal is former Missouri
Congressman Ike Skelton, who also served as Chairman of the House Armed
Services Committee.
“Since 1899 the American Royal’s mission has been to
support youth and education because that is the future of our nation. The
military has provided us the freedom to do this for many generations.
Freedom that also allowed our nation’s farmers to provide a bounty of food
that fed our population. Without our military none of this would have been
possible. It is time we focused on saying thank you,” said Bob Petersen,
American Royal President & CEO.
Parade entries are expected to include the active and
retired military, the Marine Corps Band New Orleans, Fort Riley, Fort
Leavenworth, Fort Leonard Wood, Whiteman AFB, Wentworth Military Academy,
Gold Star Families, Patriot Guard Riders, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam
Veterans of America, American Legion, Navy League, Association of the United
States Army and many others. Agricultural entries will include combines,
tractors, floats and more in the procession. All of these will be
accompanied by marching bands, drill teams, 500 Boy Scouts, Junior ROTC’s,
the Sea Cadets, 4H, FFA and more in the lineup.
This year’s Parade title sponsor is Cerner Corporation.
“We are very pleased with the support Cerner has given the American Royal
this year and in the past. They are a great Kansas City institution and have
a significant interest in recruiting former military members for future
employment,” Petersen said.
While attendees look skyward this year’s parade will
kick off with a military aircraft flyover at 10:00 a.m. The ground portion
will start at the intersection of Pershing and Grand Boulevard in Downtown
Kansas City and will end at 13th and Grand near the Power and Light
District. The Saturday evening performance of the American Royal ProRodeo
will also take place in Hale Arena that evening. For more information visit
www.americanroyal.com.
About the
American Royal BBQ in Kansas City 2012
The American Royal Association is a not-for-profit
501(c)(3) corporation that has been a Kansas City tradition since 1899. Each
year more than 270,000 people attend events at the American Royal Complex.
In 2011, the Royal was able to give $1.4 million in scholarship and
educational awards. In addition to its educational mission, the American
Royal generates some $60 million of economic impact, $4.4 million in local
tax revenues, and supports 450 jobs.
