Organizers encourage locals to enter floats in the Hootin an Hollarin parade
A couple years ago a group associated with Flotsam Farm, located north of Gainesville near Hodgson Mill, put together a “raising cane” themed float for the Hootin an Hollarin parade in honor of their annual project of growing sorghum cane and pressing and cooking the juice to make sweet sorghum molasses. Now is the perfect time to come up with a float idea for this year’s festival. Organizers hope there will be several floats entered into the Sept. 19 parade. Many floats are made with pioneer, hillbilly or Ozarks culture in mind, as well as the festival theme. This year the theme is “Celebrating 250 Years of the USA.”
Hundreds of spectators are expected to line the Gainesville square at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Sept. 19, as one of Hootin an Hollarin’s biggest traditions rolls through town, the big parade!
Parade co-chairs Kerrie Zubrod and Heather Bushner say they have a good lineup in store, but more entries are definitely welcome, particularly as the festival celebrates its theme, “Celebrating 250 Years of the USA.”
With two weeks remaining before festival time, organizers invite area families, organizations, businesses and just plain creative folks to start drumming up ideas for their perfect float to enter into the lineup.
This year’s patriotic theme and the festival’s overall pioneer spirit give parade participants plenty of room to let their imaginations run wild, whether that means decorating a pickup bed, building a float on a trailer or rounding up a group of friends and neighbors for another type of rolling celebration.
There’s a little extra incentive for those who put in the effort: float prizes include $150 for the grand prize, $100 for first place, $75 for second place, $50 for third place and $25 for fourth place.
Those entering the contest should have their floats and riders available for judging at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the grassy area near O’Reilly Auto Parts on First Street. After judging, the floats themselves will remain there until it’s time to join the parade lineup.
Veterans invited to ride
With the festival’s patriotic theme in mind, the Hootin an Hollarin committee is also making a special invitation to area veterans.
Veterans are invited to ride on several floats provided by the festival committee. Any veteran who would like to participate is encouraged to sign up ahead of time so organizers can make sure there is enough seating.
Veterans with mobility concerns are also encouraged to let organizers know when they sign up so accommodations can be made.
Plenty of room for entries
In addition to the floats, the parade is expected to include several marching bands, an impressive line up of antique cars, horses, fire engines and a wide assortment of other vehicles and contraptions.
Participants in the Saturday morning Hootin an Hollarin Ol’ Auto Roundup car show will enter the parade directly from the car show location in the grassy area just west of 160 Pit Stop on First Street.
Other antique cars, horses, fire engines and vehicles should check in behind Dollar General and line up on Highway MM, just west of the entrance to the MoDOT shed. Lineup begins at 1 p.m., with the parade stepping off an hour later.
Horse riders can wait in the grassy area near O’Reilly Auto Parts with the parade floats until it is time for them to join the lineup.
The 2026 Hootin an Hollarin queen and her court, Lil Cedar Pete and Lil Miss Addie Lee, along with the princess pageant winners, will be among those waving to the crowd from floats and vehicles.
Winners of Saturday morning’s costume parade also are invited to show off their prize-winning attire as they stroll around the square. Costume parade winners should gather at Clinkingbeard Funeral Home to walk in the parade from there.
This year’s parade marshal will be David Murphy, who will be joined by 2026 Barney Douglas Citizens of the Year Andy and Jane Elder and plenty of other folks waving from vehicles in the parade.
Good viewing can be found anywhere along the square or on other parts of the parade route. The parade will travel east on First Street from Highways 5 and MM, turn onto Main Street in front of Town & Country Supermarket and enter the southwest corner of the square. The parade will travel completely around the square before exiting onto Third Street at Shelter Insurance and dispersing from there.
Those interested in participating should sign up now by calling Zubrod at 417-372-1372 or Bushner at 417-679-3321.