You’re in the 2025 HOCO Parade!

 Here’s all the latest info so you know what’s going on. Any changes will be reflected at the top of this page, so you can make sure you never miss a thing!

Parade float contacts: Feel free to share this link to whomever needs to use this as a reference!

Parade timeline

• The staging area will be in the UPPER gravel lot (Home side) adjacent to the football stadium. Parade floats/trailers can be dropped off Tuesday after 7 p.m. (the lot is in use that afternoon for a cross-country meet) or on Wednesday before 2:30 p.m. or between 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

• Please monitor the weather forecast to help guide when you should drop off and/or decorate your parade entry. There is a chance of rain Tuesday/Wednesday, and we’d hate for all your hard work to get blown away or ruined by rain!

• 5:45 p.m. The road up to the home side/parade staging area will be closed to incoming traffic.

• 6:15 p.m. All parade participants must be in place with their vehicle, including parade walkers.

• 6:25 p.m. Eagle Spirit Lane will be closed to incoming/outgoing traffic.

• 6:30 p.m. Parade begins. Do not throw candy until your float is fully off the upper lot road and fully on Eagle Spirit Road.

PARKING: VERY IMPORTANT

• There is NO parking for non-parade vehicles in the Upper Lot. 

• Participants will need to utilize parking around the school (near the tennis courts, baseball/softball, and visitor football parking lots) and in the grass along Eagle Spirit Lane.

TOSSING CANDY: 

• 2025 CHANGE: The adults that walk alongside the floats (and any high school kids who plan to walk instead of ride!) will be the ones underhand tossing candy away from the floats in order to keep parade watchers away from the floats. Kids have laser focus when it comes to candy so if they get too close, consider underhand tossing over their heads if necessary. 

• No chocolate or anything that will melt 

• Please only start throwing candy once the entire float is off the upper lot road and completely on Eagle Spirit Ln. 

• Soft underhand toss only to avoid injuries. Last year we had instances of kids on floats line-driving candy toward young kids, who then started doing it back to the people on the float, resulting in injury to more than one person.

• It may be helpful for those on a float to help preload buckets or baskets with candy, or at least open candy bags to rotate with candy tossers. 

**We are asking for each float to ensure that candy is reserved for the entire route - every year the floats run out of candy for the last part of the route by the high school, and we want to ensure we have plenty for everyone! 

PARADE ROUTE:

PICK-UP, PEP RALLY, Burning of the Letters

• Once the parade is over, please ensure that all trash is picked up around your float prep area and all decorations removed from your float go home with you.

• All participant families are encouraged to to meet their children inside the football stadium at the Community Pep Rally! Everyone may be seated on the home side to participate in the pep rally. 

• Once the pep rally has ended, everyone may walk over for the burning of the letters, which will be monitored by our fire department and many volunteers. Please Note: The burning of the letters is subject to the wind, weather, and the discretion of the fire department. Safety is our highest priority.

Have questions? Feel free to email brockbooster@gmail.com

ON EVENT DAY: On such a busy day, we may not see your email, but we have a temporary Parade GroupMe for float main contacts to reach our team with pressing questions if we may not be close by, as we’ll be spread out all over the elementary and high school campuses for this event! 

Please join 25 HOCO Parade GroupMe: https://groupme.com/join_group/110457233/lr3NFghQ

Thank you for being part of what makes this event so memorable for our community!