LOCAL EVENTS
For the past 48 years San Marcos residents have taken to the streets of Downtown, all in the name of fun! The Just For Fun Parade is simply that, an excuse to dress silly, meet new friends and dance through the streets. The philosophy started with Ron Aiken, also known as Pizza Ron, who decided while talking to a group of friends that there should be a parade for no other reason than fun. He went to the city of San Marcos to obtain a parade permit, and the first Just For Fun Parade was born in 1978.
Every year the fourth Saturday of April is reserved for the celebration. The festivities have grown past our zip code with Just For Fun parades popping up in New Hampshire and California thanks to Aiken. There is no entrance fee or limits to participation; everyone is welcome in on the fun. Many participants were on foot, but plenty of bikes, scooters, skateboards, strollers and skates rolled through the streets.
Since the parade has been a staple of San Marcos for decades, many participants started as infants in the parade and now have their own infants to continue the tradition. Tanya Thornhill has been a long time parade participant.
“Some families have four generations of parade participants,” Thornhill said.
Even those not in the parade have enjoyed the years of whimsy and glee that makes its way down Hopkins Street. Roy Graber has been a devoted parade spectator for over 30 years.
It has not always been fun and games when it comes to organizing the parade over the years. The parade walks through downtown requiring a permit, police escort and temporary road closures. Organizing a parade is not always a fun task and Ron Aiken and his friends have run into challenges over the years for various reasons. The city has requested changes to start times and parade routes. The new route starts at the Children’s Park at 205 North C M Allen Parkway. Participants travel down Hopkins, past the Courthouse and then through the alley behind Little HEB, finding its way back to the park.
The parade saw dark days during the Covid pandemic in 2020; the city did not approve Parade permits at that time. In 2022, the parade found its footing again when Collin Downs, a member of the San Marcos Facial Hair Club obtained permits and escorts to revive the parade, taking the torch from parade founders Ron Aiken and Chris Cooper. 2023 was a challenging year for parade organizers who were having trouble acquiring police escorts. After months of back and forth with the city and multiple police departments, the Hays County Constable’s office agreed to escort the parade but for a fee totalling $1,100. This was a higher price compared to fees of the past, but the parade participants banded together and raised the funds, resulting in a successful parade.
Mark your calendars for the fourth Saturday in April next year for the 49th annual Just For Fun parade, a celebration of San Marcos and all the citizens that make this town so fun!
