San Angelo Shows Support at Veterans Day Parade

American flags waved back and forth at the hands of San Angeloans lining the streets downtown Saturday, as float after float and group after group paraded proudly to the marching beat of several high school bands at the annual Veterans day parade.

Some had arrived early, seasoned parade goers who had backed their trucks and SUVs in where clusters of family sat waving marchers on, feet dangling over the tailgates. Others stood on the sides or sat in lawn chairs, snapping photos as friends at acquaintances past.

The parade kicked off at 11:00 a.m., but long before the earliest of attendees had started to gather, two local dancing groups were on the parade route before the Tom Green County Courthouse, singing and dancing to old Texas and American traditional hits.

A few spectators looked on as women wearing full and flag-covered skirts twirled around their partners, changing hands and keeping an ear tuned to square dance caller John Dean.

“I used to square dance, but I can’t make it anymore,” says Cherri Horton, dancing and clapping from her stance on the sidelines. “My daughter dances…and my ex-husband too,” she says, pointing out daughter Marilda Johnson in a red-and-white polka dot shirt. “I used to be a square dance caller in college.”

Horton explains that the art of square dancing is in paying close attention to the caller and being able to make quick changes. As he chants over a microphone along to the music, each phrase gives the dance group a new direction for the next move.

The members of the Square Dance Promenade do well to keep with Dean, whose rapid speech only trips them up a few times the during the whole show.

Up next are the Lone Star Cloggers, a clogging group that’s been dancing in San Angelo and beyond since 1997. Dressed in blue jeans with red western shirts and white fringe, and topped off with a sparkling red cowboy hat and red clogging shoes, the group dances in unison much like a mix of tap and line dancing.

Beverly Grenda, head of the organization and only surviving charter member, has been teaching since 1992, and also gives lessons to the group and newcomers. “I started clogging I needed exercise,” Grenda says. “I love dancing and thought I would try out clogging.” She’s been doing it ever since.

In fact, a lot of the members have been doing it for quite some time—the shortest tenure of a member at Saturday’s dance has been with the cloggers for two years now.

“It’s just so much fun,” Grenda says, “We love dancing and we travel together and everyone just has a good time.”

At Saturday’s event, however, Grenda says the real honor is not in the performance: “The best thing about being here today is getting to see all the troops as they pass by and wave them on,” she said.

And that support was echoed through the streets of San Angelo on Saturday afternoon as numerous groups and troops paraded past.

High school and middle school marching bands, complete with twirlers and cheerleaders showed off their school spirit in honor of veterans, playing fight songs and other musical pieces. Local organizations pulled through in cars and floats, waving and smiling and wishing everyone a good morning. Motorcycles roared and sirens blared, horse hooves clacked and even a long horn trotted through the streets, greeting clusters of families and friends lining either side.

The spirit was high, and for some veterans present, illustrated a change in the way Americans view the military. Vietnam vet Max Jasso remembers what it was like in the ‘70s to be a veteran of war: “They [veterans] were treated awful back in the ‘70s, with all the ‘baby killers’ and everything we had to deal with. I hated that,” he says. “Now the attitude of the country has changed and it’s for the good,” he says.

Another local Vietnam veteran, Herman Harper, says he comes every year. “I think it’s very important [for citizens to come out and show their support],” he says. Harper’s been in San Angelo for about 30 years, and like Jasso, remembers a time when troops weren’t treated with respect. As for Vietnam, “I try not to think about it,” he says.

But even for those who prefer not to reflect on the past at war, the holiday serves as an important reminder. “[Veterans Day] Let’s us remember everyone who’s helped shaped our rights and freedoms,” says Alfonso Covarrubiaz, a veteran of the Marine Corps who helped track the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It means that the American people honor the vets that survived, and the ones that didn’t make it back,” Jasso said. “I’m proud that they [the public] come out and put all this together.”

Veterans Day is celebrated every Nov. 11 in the U.S. The San Angelo Veterans Day Parade is an annual event, in which local groups and organizations take part. For more Veterans Day activities, check out our events page.

For more information on the Lone Star Cloggers, contact Beverly Grenda at 653-6448. The group will be hosting the next round of lessons in January, and performing on the Fort Concho public stage from 12:00-1:00 on Dec. 7.