Windsor Day Parade joins with Windsor High School after pandemic hiatus

Saturday’s cool weather and thick clouds didn’t stop folks from lining the streets and sidewalks for the Windsor Day Parade, which returned this year after a long pandemic pause.

High school, community and civic organizations marched down city streets flying banners, ringing cowbells and waving from hand-decorated vehicles.

The last parade took place in May 2019.

Sherry Rubin is the president of the Kiwanis Club of Windsor and helped plan this year’s event.

She said after the pandemic, the community needed something to bring it back together.

“It seemed like a great way to just bring everybody back,” she said. “I love waving to people and thanking them for coming out to the parade.”

Rubin said the parade normally takes place in May, but it felt too soon after COVID. It was the idea of city manager Jon Davis to combine the parade with Windsor High School’s fall homecoming parade.

“We all put our heads together and decided October was a good time to do a parade,” she said.

The parade started at 10 a.m. at Windsor High School, looped through downtown and into the neighborhoods before returning to the school.

It was led by Windsor first responders and followed by government officials, then by dance performers and Windsor High School clubs and organizations.

Crowd favorites appeared to be routines from dance schools like Cali Calmecac Language Academy and Ballet Folklorico Jazmin.

Sarah Laybourf marched with Wise Acre Farm, whose participants dressed up in animal onesies like cows and chickens with signs saying “eat more beef” and “eat more chicken.”

She said her favorite part was walking behind the performers from Nordquist’s Dance Studio for Teens.

Jody Contreras and her family, who now live in Healdsburg, lived in Windsor for almost 20 years. She has been coming to the Windsor parade since her kids were little.

Her youngest, now 18, was in the parade with the varsity football team.

“The dancers were my favorite,” she said.

Amber Henderson from Froggy 92.9 emcee’d the parade with her radio show partner Tanner Chambers. Henderson announced for the first half of the parade route and said it was her first time emceeing for the Windsor Day Parade.

“The taekwondo kids were really amazing and a lot of the dance groups were amazing too,” she said. ” They always bring a smile.”

Sara Edwards is the business reporter for The Press Democrat. You can reach her at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat.com. Follow her on Twitter @sedwards380.