Today’s parade was brief but spirited. There was precipitation and there was wind; temperatures were barely above freezing. There was a loud salute. The Del Valle color guard and cadets, so often a sharp presence at Austin parades, stepped out smartly. Krispy Kreme, assorted pirates, and legacy Texians passed by, looking chilly but jolly. The Texas Cowboys were visible on a trailer somewhere on the bridge but were not seen along the parade route on the Avenue. Construction workers paused. Some members of the police security staff were dancing to keep warm. Small in numbers as the marchers were, they certainly seemed to outnumber the spectators. See a couple of unedited videos and a few photographs.

Texas Independence Day was yesterday, but the Texas Independence Day parade was today.

Spirits were high, even though turnout was low, perhaps because of the blustery weather. This longhorn was a great favorite of the crowd. We all loved the East Side Panther Band.

We’ve never seen so many replicas of the “Come and take it” Gonzalez flag in one place. See some and images of more parade participants here.