The Parade Marches to Entertain

Last Thursday, May 2, was the 57th annual Pegasus Parade. The theme for this 2013 parade was “Now, That’s Entertainment!” and entertaining it was. With the parade stretching seventeen blocks and lasting almost two hours, there was never a dull moment. The parade is the oldest event in the Kentucky Derby Festival and is now one of the largest parades in America.
The parade included many crowd-pleasing giant inflatable character balloons, including “Peggy Bank,” AAA Kentucky’s “Otto the Auto,” LG&E and KU Energy LLC’s “Louie the Lightning Bug,” and ZirMed Inc.’s “Curious George.” Other floats had celebrities such as the 2013 Miss America Mallory Hagan, 2012 Miss Kentucky Jessica Casebolt, and Will Heuser, Louisville native and “Big Brother 14” cast member. The parade also presented the U of L marching band as the opening act. Many people came out to see the grand marshals of the parade, the U of L men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer also took part in the parade. With about 270,000 people who packed the streets to watch the event the Pegasus Parade was once again a local hit and success.