The crowd lining Mission Road in Prairie Village buzzed Friday afternoon with anticipation for the start of the annual Lancer Day Parade.
Dressed in blue Shawnee Mission East Lancer gear and Chiefs jerseys, children played catch, adults chatted, and all looked north toward the school for a glimpse of the first float.
The Lancer Day Parade celebrates the start of the new school year and football season at SM East High. The event is a must-see for many in Prairie Village and the surrounding area.
Kathryn Marsh set up a lawn chair next to her mother, Mary Ann Germann, around 12:30 p.m. Friday.
The two came to support Marsh’s daughter Libby, a junior on SM East’s cross country team. Despite her recent foot injury, Germann was happy to attend and support her granddaughter.
“I had an in-home nurse come over this morning, and I explained what I wanted to do,” Germann said, “She (the nurse) said I was crazy, but I just couldn’t miss it, so here we are.”
Holli Zuck brought her daughters and some friends to watch the parade.
The group of 11 girls are all Belinder Elementary students and plan to be future Lancers themselves. She said that it is a fun community event that brings out the kids, and the floats are super cute.
“The parade is also a fun reason not to be in school,” Zuck said.
Many SM East alumni were also present for the 2024 parade.
Linda Scott graduated from Shawnee Mission East in 1994 and attended this year’s parade with her daughter Cate Phillips. Her son currently attends the school, and she works in the district, so she joked they are pretty committed to the school and the parade.
Here are some more scenes from this year’s Lancer Day festivities
