Western Days is underway here in Twin Falls, and on Saturday morning, the highly anticipated parade took center stage.
Since the early 1980s, the keystone event of Western Days remains the parade, and 2025 marked one of the largest to date, featuring well over 100 floats.
RELATED: Mormon crickets have returned to Idaho roads!
“The energy that goes into making the floats and the time people invest is just wonderful,” said Sandra Ochoa from Twin Falls Western Days.
From Falls Avenue to Downtown, thousands packed the streets of Twin Falls as the parade made its way through town.
Each year, the Western Days Parade selects two leaders to take part in the festivities: the Grand Marshal and the Pioneer of the Year. This year, these honors were awarded to Tom Carter, the former Twin Falls County Sheriff for 16 years, and local community figure Jim O'Donnell.
“They contacted me to see if I’d be interested in being the Grand Marshal, and I said, ‘Heck yes!’ This gives me the opportunity to do it one more time,” said former Sheriff Tom Carter.
“It’s flattering to be recognized for some of the things we’ve done over the years, and I appreciate it. When they asked me if I wanted to walk or ride, I said, ‘I’ve got to have a ride,’” said Jim O'Donnell, Pioneer of the Year.
“Western Days is the best thing to happen to this community,” Tom Carter added.
Also leading the parade was the American Glory Flag Team. “The crowd is amazing. We go to parades all over the Northwest, and this is the only one where people actually stand for the flag every single time we come through,” said Amber Sluder from the American Glory Flag Team.
The parade featured a remarkable mix of styles and themes, including a rolling barber shop.
“We’re all barbers here at Bridge City Barber Shop, so we’re going to get him cleaned up during the parade. People loved it last year, so we had to give the people what they want,” said Jesse Andrus from Bridge City Barber Shop.
If you missed the parade, Western Days will continue all weekend long at the Twin Falls City Park, wrapping up Sunday evening.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
