Smiles abound at DeSoto Children’s Parade in Palmetto

Adults shared in smiles with their kids during the DeSoto Children’s Parade on Friday morning.

Folding chairs, blankets and golf carts lined 10th Avenue West in Palmetto, where the parade began at 10 a.m. Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts led the way as thousands of people wrapped around a corner street.

Jared Lamb, 4, had one word to describe his favorite part of the parade. “Candy,” he said.

Lamb was among the first kids to start a candy collection. Sugar Babies and Dots shared space with a pile of beads on his family’s sidewalk space.

He was accompanied by Jana Chadwick, a Bradenton resident for about 63 years. Her own mother used to enjoy the parade before she passed away in 2015.

“We've been coming for years,” Chadwick said. “We brought our kids and now we’re bringing our grandkids.”

Farther down the road, Amber Menendez held back her son, Gavin, who often walked toward the floats with a sense of wonder. Purple, blue and green beads lined his neck — like a mini Mr. T, minus the gold.

Gavin is less than 2 years old, and he stands at less than 3 feet tall. He looked up and pointed as a 12-foot, 7-inch monster truck idled nearby.

“It’s just something to do,” Amber Menendez said. “I thought he’d enjoy it.”

Bubbles trailed behind a castle float made of wooden walls and PVC columns. Students of Palma Sola Elementary adjusted their tiaras and capes, often chanting their school’s name as a group of adults pushed the float from behind.

A wooden seahorse joined other props on the float, and someone in a manatee costume sat inside the homemade castle. The theme of this year’s parade was “Creatures Under the Sea.”

Doreen Cosentino joined the elementary school as an art teacher about 16 years ago. In her second year, she began her role as building coordinator for the school’s parade floats.

She cut the materials with a saw and met with students to assemble and paint the float. They finished this year’s project at 2 p.m. on Thursday.

“We have some trouble every year with our tires, but all the parents and families and community pulled together, and we were rocking to the last second,” Cosentino said.

Students saw their hard work pay off when the parade ended at Sutton Park, where it was announced that Palma Sola Elementary School won the Best Use of Theme category. A $1,000 prize accompanied their victory.

The sound of creaking swingsets and humming generators filled the area as an after-party started in the park. Some families took refuge under shaded trees as the temperature hit 77 degrees.

Parade Chairman Erik Marshall said it was hard to put a number on the crowd size. Though, with many families being gone for spring break, he felt the attendance was lower than in past years.

He was happy that several thousand people still showed up to carry on the annual tradition.

“I’m 40 and I was here when I was five, and it was going on before that,” he said.

A monster truck from JH Diesel and 4×4 made its debut this year, as did the Anna Maria Island Privateers.

Much like the Hernando de Soto Historical Society, the Privateers is a nonprofit group with an interest in the community’s youth. Both organizations navigated large ships down the parade route.

“It’s a long tradition, and it’s the kids,” Marshall said of the parade. “The kids have a blast.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2018 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Smiles abound at DeSoto Children’s Parade in Palmetto."