The annual Prairie Days activities have been a summertime hit in Yelm since 1971, and in 2024, residents and paradegoers flocked to East Yelm Avenue on Saturday, June 22, in the early morning hours for the annual Prairie Days Parade.
The event featured over 50 parade entries, with Yelm Historic Preservation Committee members, Gene Coulter, Sandra “Sandy” Story, Austin Gray, Jesse Kellems and LouAnn “Hap” Hansen, serving as the event’s grand marshals.
The annual activity also marked the first Prairie Days Parade with Tina Richardson, executive director for Yelm Chamber of Commerce, helming the event. After beginning her new role as executive director for the chamber in April, Richardson was quickly tasked with planning the popular parade.
“The camaraderie of all these different groups, including the schools, the City, the chamber, these businesses, organizations and so many more all coming together, was such a powerful and amazing feeling to me. There’s so many moving parts in all of this. So many people showed up and asked what they could help with,” Richardson said. “That is always a powerful statement and testament to the community, and the heart of people wanting to help with something to make it work. I’m absolutely grateful that so many people were there, knew what they were doing and got the job done. There’s no way one person could ever do something like this.”
With the conclusion of the 2024 Prairie Days Parade, Richardson said the chamber has already begun to ponder what it can do to make the event “bigger, better and more impactful” in the future. She also reflected on her first parade as the executive director for the chamber and described it as a great experience.
“The energy, the excitement — it was cool to watch that part of the parade at this end. We’re celebrating, doing this fun activity together, and it was so much fun to watch the energy with that. It was great going down the streets and watching the little kids and their families enjoying the event,” Richardson said. “You never know how many [entries] will show up. I know some parades have been canceled in the past because of the lack of entries, so again, I’m thankful. Thank you to everyone who signed up and participated because a big part of the success behind a parade are the entries.”
Richardson added that it is amazing to put on an old-school event yet see so many young paradegoers and families attending and continuing the Prairie Days tradition. Despite attending her first Prairie Days committee meeting in May, Richardson said she worked with a lot of great people within the Chamber of Commerce, City of Yelm and event partners to ensure the parade ran smoothly.
“As an executive director, that title is what it is. But my heart is always going to be wherever I’m at. How can I give back and help support the community? That’s always going to be my goal in everything I do. With that, if I get the opportunity, how can I help bring our community together but also make it impactful for children, for families? For me, being able to do that in this position, the goal for me will always be how do we ensure it makes a statement and shows that we care about our community,” Richardson questioned. “The fact I get the opportunity to be a part of the community in this way, what it means to me, is I get to build memories. I get to build these strong connections with the city, the town, the home. It is part of what makes Yelm our home and what makes it special. Maybe someone a generation from now can be impacted by these small little memories and want to pour back into their community.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0