It was a bright and sunny Arizona morning on Saturday, Oct. 12, as many of the major institutions and organizations of Camp Verde rolled down Main Street in the slow-moving Fort Verde Days parade.
With the theme of “Once Upon A Time,” the 62nd iteration of the annual event featured participants costumed to show off the town’s history. The American Legion marched with uniforms, rifles and flags, and a tractor pulled a float full of volunteers representing Fort Verde State Historic Park, all dolled up in period dress and accompanied by the Camp Carleton Band out of California, playing historical marching music of the 19th century. Vintage cars passed by regularly.
Many of the parade floats showed off Camp Verde’s Western character, with frequent hay bales, cowboy hats and horseback riders. The Camp Verde Arena Association, in the process of building a rodeo arena in Camp Verde, paraded up with a show of force of at least a dozen kids on horseback.
The Camp Verde High School Class of 1989 showed up in blue, shaking pompoms in honor of their 30th reunion. Camp Verde Marshall’s Office drove by with their police lights flashing and the occasional siren. Numerous local businesses, from Mr. Rooter’s plumbing to Ace Hardware, participated, boosting local charities and causes such as breast cancer awareness.
“I think the parade was awesome,” said Camp Verde resident Gaylene Allen, who has been coming to Fort Verde Days every year since 2004. “It had gotten smaller in recent years. There were so many entrants. I love how the community comes out.”
Whereas last year’s parade had been a dreary affair, the grey sky opening up into rain just as the street began to clear and cancelling some of the afternoon’s festivities, the perfect weather on Saturday gave way to a lively and full day of all of the activities that Verde Valley residents have come to expect from Fort Verde Days, falling this year from Friday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 13. Carnivals, history, local vendors, food and all sorts of other fun activities dotted the field by East Hollamon Street, along with a craft fair in the gym.
While much of the event was similar to the usual event that Camp Verde residents have come to love, this year’s Fort Verde Days came with new management. Whereas the event has been run by Camp Verde Promotions, this was the first year since the Camp Verde Parks and Recreation Department took over organization. Attendees expressed a view that most things felt the same, but the layout of the fairgrounds felt more organized and easy to navigate than in previous years.
“I can remember getting constantly asked where something was,” Vice Mayor Dee Jenkins said of years past. Jenkins sat at a table at the entrance and handed out maps and schedules to visitors, a new addition she felt made a huge difference. “Just these little things make it more worthwhile.”
Not all went smoothly for Parks and Rec in their first year. As usual, the Verde Rangers served beer at the event, but a problem in getting a liquor license for the nonprofit led to an emergency meeting of the Camp Verde Town Council the Monday before the event, and Parks and Recreation Director Michael Marshall having to drive down to Phoenix and back to make sure that the new liquor license for the town’s event was certified in the state capital in time.
“It worked because there’s beer,” Councilman Bill LeBeau said. “Can you imagine Fort Verde Days without beer?”
Organizers said that they did not have full numbers for the event, but they suspected that attendance was up this year.
Along with the returning aspects, the three-day event included a few new additions. For the second year running, Cliff Castle Casino held 10K, 5K and 3K runs, benefiting the Kiwanis Kids Program for Camp Verde. The Nashwa Farms Equestrian & Event Center offered up horseback riding on Sunday morning.
In addition to the events on the field, Fort Verde itself was as usual its own focus for the historical portion of the event. Re-enactors from the 1st Texas Light Artillery and 3rd U.S. Battery A, portraying both sides of the Civil War in Arizona, walked the Fort grounds among others in period dress and even fired an antique cannon a few times. The annual vintage base ball game was also held between the Fort Verde Excelsiors and the Prescott Champions, with the two teams decked out in navy blue knickers that went to just below their knees, throwing, hitting and catching without the benefit of mitts.
“It’s a sort of centerpiece,” Camp Verde resident Dru Winders said. “Many people come to visit the fort. I moved to Camp Verde for the old town. I’ve enjoyed that part of it, the community.”
