As throngs of applauding spectators lined the street, the sirens of Gering police cars answered their cheers. The 2022 Oregon Trail Days parade through downtown Gering kicked off Saturday festivities. It drew thousands to watch the various floats.
“We’ve known about it all our lives. Our families are from here, so we come every year,” Tammy Koob, of Cheyenne, said.
She attended the parade with her husband, daughter and granddaughters. She brought her kids when they were younger and now they bring their own kids along.
Koob said she enjoyed the vehicles featured in the parade.
Thousands of spectators cheered on the parade as they watched from shaded sidewalks alongside Tenth Street in Gering.
“They added farmers, construction (vehicles) and race cars (classics and hot rods). Disappointed they didn’t have sheep and longhorn cattle like last year, but it was good,” she added.
Dozens of local companies and organizations sponsored floats. Spectators cheered as marching bands, class reunions, cheerleaders and political candidates marched by or waved at them from floats. In between came waves of loaders, firetrucks, tractors and race cars.
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Many parade-goers were locals, who came on to cheer friends and family and be part of this community spectacle.
“I’ve got my wife, a couple of my children, and I’ve got my dad with me,” Sgt. Phil Eckerberg of the Scottsbluff Police Department, and a Gering resident, told the Gering Courier. “This is an annual tradition for us. I’ve been here watching this Oregon Trail Days parade for over 50 years.”
This year, horses were featured in the Oregon Trail Days parade.
He said he enjoyed seeing the fire trucks and emergency vehicles.
“I also like the bands,” Eckerberg said. “I miss the old days, used to be we had bands from Cheyenne and Scottsbluff and all over the place who came to march in this parade but now it’s down to just the two Gering bands.”
The Eckerberg family had attended the concert, food festival, and kiddie parade earlier in the week. They planned to visit the craft fair and carnival after the main parade.
Kids played an integral part in the Oregon Trail Days parade Saturday. From cheerleading to playing in a marching band to waving at the adoring crowds, children featured in many of the floats and most of the entertainment.
“It’s been a long tradition; obviously, this is the 101st rendition of this particular event. I think it’s nice,” Eckerberg said. “It gives people a reason to come home. When I was in the Army, I always planned my leaves around when Oregon Trail Days was. You come here, you see people you haven’t seen in a long time, maybe people that have moved away … a lot of people come home for this event and that’s my favorite part.”
Among those who came specifically for the parade, Eckerberg said, was his daughter. She flew from Alaska to be part of the Gering High School Class of 2012 anniversary float.
Spectator Corina Hernandez of Gering agreed with Eckerberg’s sentiment, saying the parade is a draw for people who moved away from the area to come back. She regularly attends the festivities and said it’s a good event for the community to have.
“All these events, the craft shows, the food fair, the rides, the gathering of people … they always come back for Oregon Trail Days,” she said. “They might move away from here but they always come back. All our friends and family get together and it’s just nice to see everybody out here. One event holds us over until next year.”
There was more than just the parade happening in downtown Gering, though. On Saturday, several dozen food, art and craft vendors took part in a craft fair in Legion Park, just a few blocks away from the parade route.
Debbie Eutsler, of D & L Handyworks, has been selling woodworking and sewing crafts at the fair for around a decade.
“It’s kind of nice to see return customers come back year after year … the people are just friendly and it’s a nice area,” Eutsler said.
Sydni Closson conversed with customers at her 3 Dirty Boys specialty candle booth. She said Saturday’s event was going well, especially compared to her first time participating in the fair.
“The first year was actually the summer of COVID so it’s been a lot better than that first summer. (It) was a little rough,” she said.
This year has seen more activity, Closson said, with more customers and other vendors to talk with.
Closson sold special grab bags of mixed-variety items made just for the craft fair. This was her third year participating at the event; she said its organizers were easy to work with.
“I’ve always liked Oregon Trail Days because there’s so much to do and it brings so many people here,” she added.
Even first-time craft fair participants enjoyed what they experienced. Krystal Patterson sold her Obeastus Beads jewelry and accessories at Saturday’s fair after hearing about the event last year.
“I love it all, really,” Patterson said. “… It’s just been nice to come together, meet other vendors and grow as a craft fair community.”
