Sat, Nov 22, 2008
 Members of the Tucson Police Department line the parade route along Irvington Road to prevent spectators from wandering into the street during the 83rd Fiesta de los Vaqueros Tucson Rodeo Parade. mamta popat / arizona daily star
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Tucson, Arizona | Published: 02.22.2008
This 2008 Fiesta de Los Vaqueros Tucson Rodeo Parade went smoothly with no significant problems despite some complaints of heavy-handed application of new rules imposed after a fatal accident last year claimed the life of a 5-year-old girl.
Most people appeared to accept and follow the new rules for the parade that kicked off at 9:05 a.m. Thursday with five cheerleaders from Flowing Wells High School carrying the Tucson Rodeo Parade banner.
They were followed by horsemen carrying flags from the United States, Arizona, Spain, Mexico and the University of Arizona. They were followed by the UA marching band.
The last entries had left the intersection of East Ajo Way and South Park Avenue within three hours and police reported no major incidents or arrests, said Sgt. Fabian Pacheco, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.
Parade officials breathed a sigh of relief at the end, happy at the outcome and that the tradition would continue.
"We're just happy we had a very successful parade with no incidents," said Herb Wagner, a Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee spokesman. "We're just relieved and recuperating from a very early morning."
Tucson police and rodeo officials ratcheted up safety rules after the death of 5-year-old Brielle Boisvert in last year's parade. Brielle was killed when the horses pulling a carriage spooked and bolted, running into her horse. She was thrown from the animal and run over by a wagon.
A police investigation revealed a woman in a purple dress who walked across the parade route may have spooked the horses.
Red line was boundary
New rules instituted for this year's parade — including a ban on people crossing the parade route — are intended to prevent a repeat of the accident. City officials painted a red line on the curb to let people know exactly how close to the street they could sit.
To enforce the rules, police were positioned about every 50 yards along the route with instructions to arrest people who did not comply.
This year 149 officers were responsible for crowd control and another 113 for regulating traffic around the parade, Pacheco said. In years past, officers were asked to do both crowd and traffic control, he said.
Another safety measure this year was to increase the space between parade entries and provide an even greater distance between marching bands and horses in the parade. People were also told not to bring balloons, firecrackers or any noisemakers.
On the corner of Park and Irvington Road, at an impromptu memorial that sprang up after Brielle's death, there were several bouquets, miniature horses and angel figurines as well as a card addressed to "the family of our little rodeo angel."
Although most people seemed to accept the new precautions, some felt the early enforcement was a bit heavy-handed.
Vicki Cass said her 14-year-old son had crossed the street to a convenience store and was stopped by police as he tried to return to his mother's side at 8:30 a.m.
She said she had returned to the same spot to watch the parade year after year, and arrived at 7:15 a.m. to save her spot. "I've been here every year since I moved to Tucson, and I'll never be here again," she said. "I obey the rules and everything, but this is ridiculous, they could have walked him across."
Cass was not alone.
All along the route, people tried to cross the street for various reasons before the parade started. It briefly took on the appearance of a ritual dance: First somebody stepped into the street, then a police officer would point and shout, receiving a pleading explanation in return.
Hitch Paprocki and Judi Guignard got separated on different sides of the street after police refused passage. "I know they're trying to keep up on security and all, but it hasn't even started yet," Guignard said. "They're yelling at people."
In their case, a parade marshal interceded and allowed them to cross. At Park and Irvington, police at one point relented, and people rushed across the street to rejoin family and friends just before the start of the parade.
Pacheco said officers had to use their judgment when deciding to let people cross the road before the parade. But officers were told to stop allowing people to cross about 10 minutes before the parade started.
Caution is stressed
Near the starting line, on Ajo between Park and South Sixth Street, caution was on the mind of marchers waiting in line.
"They told us we weren't supposed to do anything sudden around the horses," said Destiny Lagrand, a baton twirler on the front line of the UA Pride of Arizona Marching Band.
When asked if throwing a spinning shiny metal stick into the air while followed by seven sousaphone players and people smashing cymbals might qualify as doing something "sudden," Lagrand just smiled.
A poignant moment
To the crowd, except for the red line and occasional bark from marshals and police enforcing the rules, the parade provided entertainment.
There was also one poignant tribute by a drummer.
In the unofficial awards, the Most Bizarre Visual was probably a tie between the Arby's Oven Mitt waving maniacally from the back seat of a buggy and the Truly Nolen termite waving its four arms.
The biggest crowd response near the starting line was a tossup between the Asociación de Charros del Rincon, with beautifully costumed riders slowly spinning huge rope loops from horseback, and the four horsemen of the U.S. Border Patrol entry.
A bass drummer for the Palo Verde High School Titan Marching Band had taped to his drum a flier with the picture of Kay Read, the 62-year-old East Side Sunday school teacher who disappeared from her home last week.
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