It is an event that has been celebrating the southwest for 91 years. On Thursday, La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros, the Tucson Rodeo Parade, took the horsepower to the streets near the rodeo grounds.
More than 150,000 people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the horses, wagons and bands walk along the route.
"It's kind of a Tucson tradition," Jim Hill explained.
A tradition Hill started, not as a spectator, but as a parade-participant himself.
"I've been in the parade probably 15, 20 times," Hill said.
Now, he sits on the sidelines to share the tradition with the next generation. Hill's 14-year-old granddaughter Rose told KGUN9, her favorite part is anything that includes the horses.
"I love how, like elegant they are," Rose said. "They are just elegant!"
More than 650 horses made the parade possible, along with 2,500 people, almost a dozen marching bands, plus - nearly 90 wagons and buggies. One of those wagons, carried Grand Marshal Chandler Warden.
"I'm riding in this beautiful wagon right here from the 1880s," Warden said as he showed off the piece of history. "That's the charm of the Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum. It's because all the pieces and wagons and carriages and buggies in the parade go back to the 1860s, 1870s."
Warden said that he loves how this event brings Tucson together and that he is so proud to be apart of it.
"To be honored with such a deep and rich Tucson tradition is an honor," Warden said.
Whether you're a participant waving to the crowd, like Warden - or you're a spectator, like Hill and his family - this event lets everyone be part of history.
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