This year’s Yee Haw Holiday parade is set for Dec. 13
For more than sixty years, Plano’s holiday season has kicked off with the sound of marching bands, the roll of handmade floats and generations of families lining the streets together. This year, that legacy continues as the Rotary Clubs of Plano bring the city’s historic holiday parade back to downtown with a Yee Haw Holiday twist.
Think tinsel-lined cowboy hats, candy-cane-filled boots and cacti draped in twinkle lights. It’s a fresh spin on one of Plano’s oldest traditions.
The parade trots into downtown Plano on Dec. 13 at 2 p.m., inviting neighbors, local groups and performers to celebrate a piece of the city’s past that’s still very much alive.
A Tradition With Real Roots
Plano’s holiday parade history stretches back to 1963, when the first procession made its way through a much smaller downtown. Over the decades, the event shifted locations, paused, restarted and adapted to a changing — and growing — city.
Jennifer Shertzer, public relations chair for the parade, told Local Profile that the event has had a winding journey. “The very first one was in 1963, and then it’s kind of stopped and started throughout the years,” she says.
After COVID, when the Lions Club stepped away from hosting, the city turned to its five Rotary Clubs to steer the event forward. “It’s all volunteers that do it,” Shertzer said. “We do have two co-chairs that are kind of experienced at organizing stuff like this, project managers.”
The parade officially returned in 2022, although its comeback was dampened by rain. Still, bringing the event back to its original downtown route has been meaningful for longtime residents. “We do have people who work in downtown that have told me, they’ve been going to this parade since I was a kid,” she said. For many, it remains a beloved thread connecting Plano’s past and present.
A Parade That Gives Back
Beyond the floats and fanfare, the Rotary Clubs also treat the parade as a way to support the community financially. Shertzer said the event isn’t designed to generate profit. “We’re a non-profit. We don’t want to make any money,” she explained. Once expenses are settled, the committee donates the remaining funds to local organizations.
It’s a meaningful cycle: local businesses help fund the parade, and in turn, that support flows right back into the community.
Photo: Rotary Clubs of Plano
Floats, Bands, And One Surprising Shopping Spree
Local businesses, schools and community organizations will once again fill downtown with a colorful lineup of floats, walking groups, performers and marching bands. The Plano Senior High Band, a fixture since the earliest parades, continues its tradition. “They’re in it every single year,” Shertzer said.
This year comes with a twist: JCPenney is sending a group of about 30 associates to hand out coupons along the route — and one of those coupons carries a hidden $500 shopping spree. “We really want to get the word out about that,” Shertzer said, hoping the prize finds its way to someone who truly needs it.
Honoring Local Excellence
The parade once again celebrates Plano ISD’s teachers of the year as grand marshals, highlighting the educators who help shape the community. A special guest of honor, a Plano teen recently named Time Magazine’s Kid of the Year, Tejasvi Manoj, will also be featured as a “local celebrity.”
Scout troops, student groups and possibly even some street performers and jugglers will add extra energy to this year’s event, blending nostalgia with new touches.
Where The Spurs Meet The Sparkle
The Rotary Clubs of Plano Holiday Parade remains one of the city’s longest-running traditions, a celebration that has grown alongside Plano itself. With its Yee Haw Holiday theme and a renewed focus on downtown roots, this year’s event promises a joyful blend of history, creativity and community spirit.
On Dec. 13, Plano once again gathers to honor its past, celebrate its present and cheer on a tradition that keeps on riding.
To learn more about how to join the parade, become a sponsor or even just attend, visit the link here.
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