Thousands of people lined Leopard Street to get a look at this year’s Buc Days Rally Night Parade.

The parade kicked off celebrations for the week and a half long Buc Days festivities.

Laurie Ufret is a proud Roy Miller High School graduate from 1989. She no longer lives in the area but travels thousands of miles to take part in the parade with her High Steppers alumni organization.

“I’ve been marching since I was about 15 years old. It’s a tradition,” Ufret said. “Although I did leave Corpus Christi after 54 years, I still came back — flew 1,800 miles — for this tradition. It’s instilled in us. Like I said, if you went to Miller, you’re family, and this is just something you do because this is a family event.”

The parade isn’t the only way this organization gives back.

“We are more than a sisterhood. We don’t just perform during parades or different activities. What we also do is have different initiatives, our first being the Cynthia Marquez Scholarship Initiative, where we select a senior and give a scholarship. She was our director for more than 30 years here at Roy Miller High School. Then we have a mum initiative, where we give a mum to all the High Steppers so they can have a very special homecoming,” Ufret said. “We also do other things throughout the year, where we help High Steppers in case they need a uniform — anything we can do. We just want to make sure we give back to our community because that’s what being alumni is about.”

Isabel Araiza and her group, For the Greater Good, are taking part in the parade for the fifth year. Araiza said the parade brings back many memories, and now being part of it is special.

“When I was a little girl, I lived just down the street from Leopard Street, and my dad would barbecue hamburgers, put them in a wagon, and we would walk down the street to Leopard. We would hang out there all day, eat, and wait to see the floats and play. It was such a good time, and it’s exciting to be on this side of the event,” Araiza said.

Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Nekeish Joseph said it is a longtime family tradition to attend the parade, but this one is especially meaningful.

“Family tradition — love the environment, the events. I was once part of it, and now my son is performing in it today with the Moody Band,” Joseph said.

Lisa Roque said her earliest Buc Days memory is from when she was 4 years old. Now, she said, it’s a full-circle moment as she brings her own children.

“I was actually telling my 6-year-old yesterday this is a tradition for us because my dad would bring us, so I told her I want to make it a tradition for them,” Roque said.

Joe Delgado built the float his daughter, Chloe Delgado, is representing as the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show Queen. He said Buc Days is special for the Corpus Christi community.

“We were just talking about all the great traditions here and how my father-in-law, when they were young, used to dress as pirates during Buc Days because it was such a big deal. Growing up in Kingsville, I don’t know how I never knew about it, but I’m glad that I’m here now, and I’m glad that I’m part of it, and that my daughter is able to represent the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show,” Delgado said.