For close to 100 years, it's been a tradition to honor pioneers who settled the area.
Following the parade, pioneers will register at Pioneer Park, where they will be serveAs it has for the past 93 years, the Pioneer Day will be held Sept. 17-18 in downtown Florence, featuring this year's theme, “The Way They Played.”
Kicking off the festival, the Pioneer Day board will crown Bob and Sue Wood as the Pioneer Day King and Queen on Sept. 17 in the Florence Elks Lodge No. 611 in Florence. The board also will introduce Cecil Slattery as the Parade Marshall, Lynn Lemmon-Oliver as the Distinguished Citizen. At 7 p.m., Atomic Fireballs will take center stage and play a variety of classic rock and roll music for the dance at the Elks at 131 E. Front St. in Florence.
Bright and early the next morning, the Pioneer Day Parade will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 and run from Church to McCandless Avenue on Main Street. The parade will feature a plethora of entries, including politicians, floats, bands, Elks members, Al Kaly Shriner units, horses, children, dogs and much more.
Following the parade, pioneers will register at Pioneer Park, where they will be served dinner at noon in the pavilion at Pioneer Park.
The festivities continue with numerous nonprofits' booths on Pikes Peak and along Main Street, where a plethora of refreshments, crafts and miscellaneous items will be sold. Florence Pioneer Museum will be open during the day, offering a number of activities. In conjunction, Florence Brewing will host Brew Ha Ha, starting at 3 p.m. Sept. 18 on Pikes Peak Avenue.
Since last year's festivities were not allowed, everyone is looking forward to this year Pioneer Day festivities.