95th annual Pioneer Day returns to Paso Robles this Saturday
The Pioneer Day games and gymkhana will begin at 3 p.m. at the Paso Robles Event Center.
– The City of Paso Robles will host the 95th Annual Pioneer Day Parade on Saturday, Oct. 11, in downtown Paso Robles. The parade will begin promptly at 10 a.m. and travel along Spring Street from 16th Street to Paso Robles City Park.
The event will feature antique tractors, horse-drawn wagons, marching bands, mounted equestrian groups, youth and civic groups, floats, vintage cars, fire engines, and military vehicles. This year’s float theme is “95th Pioneer Playlist.” Entries are encouraged to represent the theme in their decorations, and the best depiction will receive a $500 cash prize.
Prior to the parade, the Children’s Pet Show will begin at 8 a.m. at the Downtown Park Gazebo, with prizes awarded for Best Look-Alike, Most Colorful, Best Behaved, Best Dressed, Most Unique, and Pioneer Pet. The Little Cowboy and Cowgirl, and Pioneer Boy and Girl contests will start at 8:15 a.m. Categories include Little Cowgirl, Little Cowboy, Little Pioneer Girl, and Little Pioneer Boy for ages 0-3, as well as Cowgirl, Cowboy, Pioneer Girl, and Pioneer Boy for ages 4-6. Registration will take place the morning of the event, and ribbons and prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place in each category.
Following the parade, festivities will continue with the annual bean feed, whiskerino contest, horseshoe pitching contest, and an antique equipment display near the park and at the Pioneer Museum. The museum will also host tractor demonstrations and an old gas engine show.
The Pioneer Day games and gymkhana will begin at 3 p.m. at the Paso Robles Event Center. Events will include the hay hurdle relay, hay loading race, hay stealing contest, tug-of-war between the Paso Robles Varsity Bearcat Football team and Atascadero Varsity Greyhound Football team, antique car potato race, women’s truck and horse trailer backing, tractor stake race, crawler tractor pole bending, and hay hold race. Contest winners in the potato race, trailer, and hay-stealing events will receive $1,000 for first place. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the Event Center.
To ensure safety and smooth traffic flow, the city announced that Spring Street will be closed from 10th Street to 21st Street from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. Motorists are advised to expect detours and increased traffic downtown and to allow extra travel time.
The first Pioneer Day was held on Oct. 12, 1931, organized by community volunteers to celebrate local heritage and promote community friendship. For more information, visit www.pasoroblespioneerday.org.
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