Wallenda named DeSoto parade grand marshal

Nik Wallenda will be the grand marshal of this year's DeSoto Heritage Festival Grand Parade.

The parade is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The Hernando DeSoto Historical Society made the announcement about Wallenda on Monday morning.

Wallenda, of course, is the Bradenton-based but internationally famous high-wire artist who's known for such spectacular feats as crossing the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls.

This will be the 78th annual edition of the DeSoto Heritage Festival Grand Parade, which includes more than 150 entries and draws more than 200,000 spectators. Organizers say that it is the largest parade in Southwest Florida.

--Marty Clear

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Wallenda named DeSoto parade grand marshal ."