Everyone is invited to dust off their water blasters, stock up on water ballons and join in Pauls Valley’s first-ever Back-to-School Water Fight Parade Aug. 10 at 6 p.m.
The unique event, intended to be a fun, back-to-school kickoff for area kids, will include a parade of school staff, city employees, first responders and local businesses and organizations down Paul Avenue from the Police Station to the Santa Fe Depot.
Those in the parade will be toting water balloons and water blasters, prepared to wage an epic water fight with similarly equipped parade goers as they work their way down the street.
Once the parade reaches the depot area, the fun will continue with a live DJ dance party and free snow cones.
Plans are also underway for water refill stations and water balloon stations to be located along the parade route, thanks to donations from local businesses and area residents, Pauls Valley Tourism Director Tawni Huggans said.
Huggans said the event is a great way for everyone in the community to come together, have some fun and rally around students as they prepare to head back to the classroom.
“I would love to see this become an annual thing,” Huggans said.
Huggans said the inspiration for the event bubbled up after she recently saw a video online of something similar in another state.
“It was a Fourth of July parade in New York, I think, that had fire trucks and water balloons,” Huggans said. “I loved the idea. I loved how much fun it was, and so I started thinking about how we could make it fit our community.”
The first step was to get everyone on board.
“I just kept showing that video to people and saying, ‘Okay, hear me out,’” Huggans said.
Once she had the support of her peers at city hall, Huggans paid a visit to Pauls Valley School Superintendent Brett Knight.
“She came by and showed us the video,” Knight said. “I thought it was awesome. It’s just a great way to get the community to come together, and it’s an exciting and fun way to start the school year.”
Knight said he’s already talked to several of the district’s football coaches about the event. Though fall practices are set to get underway the day of the parade, he said they plan to wrap up in time for staff and students to participate “They are already bought in and excited to throw water balloons to kick off the new school year,” Knight said, adding, “I really appreciate the city working on this and continuing to find new ways to work together to make things better for our kids, because that’s what it’s about.”
Huggans agreed, offering a refrain she repeats often: “If our people don’t want to be here, then no one else will want to be here either.”
“That starts with our kids and our families,” she said. “And this is part of how we do that. We create those memories, a sense of community, and those fun events that continue to draw our kids back home for years to come.”
Businesses, groups or organizations that would like more information on how to get involved in the water fight parade can reach out to tourism@cityofpaulsvalley.com.
