| 131st Veil Prophet Parade 2008 Another great July 4th celebration. This year we had a total of 8 T-Bucket's & Hot Rod's take part in the VP parade.. The weather forecast was for rain but the rain never came. It was a little chilly in the morning, especially for July 4th but the sun came out later and it was a beautiful day.. I've been told, this parade has NEVER been rained out.. The 2008 Veiled Prophet Parade featured more than 100 parade units, including: 17 Floats, custom designed and built for the parade by a staff of professional artists and craftsmen in one of the world's largest operations of it's kind, supported by the VP organization. 10 high school bands competing for over $10,000 in prizes, 3 specialty bands, 7 giant helium balloons, clowns, unique vehicles and much more fun for the children of all ages Our group started at Cracker Barrel at 6:30 am for breakfast and then the journey to downtown St. Louis. They staged us at Tucker & Cole streets and at 10:00 am, the parade started. The streets were lined with spectators and it would be hard to guess how many people joined us in this celebration. After the parade, we decided to go to Joanie's Pizzeria for lunch. After lunch we headed our separate ways for the evening festivities. A great day and a special thanks to: Jim & Stephanie, Larry, Karen & family, Carl, Joe & Toni, Rick-Michelle-Brittnay-Tiffani, and Jackie. |
| Fun Facts The first Parade was on October 8, 1878. The original Parade was the highlight of the early October Fair which brought out-state visitors to St. Louis. The first floats were purchased by a group of prominent St. Louis businessmen lead by Charles Slayback for $8,000 from the New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. The floats were brought to St. Louis by steam ship for free. Krewe members of the Veiled Prophet comprise the characters who ride the floats, and are the oldest and largest Veiled Prophet committee. 145 members were asked to ride in the Parade, but there was room on the floats for only 113 members. During the first year, attendance was estimated at between 50,000 and 100,000. By 1930, this number had grown to 375,000, and, in 1967 to 500,000. Floats were horse-drawn in the early years. Originally, the floats were illuminated by 1,000 torch lights in addition to hundreds of lanterns. Starting in 1903, the floats were illuminated by electric power from the Street Rail System. There was a War Chest (bond sale) Parade in 1942. Starting in 1954, the float illumination was provided by portable generators. Starting in 1946, the floats were pulled by truck tractors driven by professional drivers. In 1955, truck tractors were switched to farm tractors to pull the floats. One year, there was a national plowing contest on the day of the Parade. Members of the Veiled Prophet were recruited to drive the tractors, a practice that continues today. Later Chevy Blazers were decorated to match the float they were pulling. Small lawn tractors were used and decorated as well. Subsequently, some of the floats were self-propelled, and the practice of adding one or two of these each year, continues today. The 1969 Parade changed from night to day. Nationally known artists have designed floats: Oscar Being house from 1929 to 1941; Frank Nuderscher from 1945 to 1954; Fred Conway from 1955 to 1963 and Charles Morganthuler from 1964 to 1966. For a number of years, students from St. Louis’ schools would compete to design some of the floats. High school bands have played a major role in numerous Parades, and today high school bands from the Midwest compete for more than $10,000 in prizes. The tie between the Parade and the Veiled Prophet Ball goes back to the first year 1878 - when the Parade and the Ball occurred on the same night. In the early years, the entire Krewe appeared in costume at the Ball, later dancing with the Maids and Ladies of Honor |
July 4th, 2008