Parade, Concert and Fireworks Cap McPherson County All Schools Day
Friday's main events drew a large crowd to downtown McPherson under cool, overcast skies
MCPHERSON, Kan. — Thousands of spectators lined Main Street and packed Wall Park on Friday for the parade, concert and fireworks that capped McPherson County All Schools Day, the community's annual celebration of its public schools. Skies were overcast with a high in the 60s.
The parade began with a flyover at about 10:30 a.m. and rolled down Main Street from just south of Euclid Avenue at the railroad tracks to roughly Bishop Avenue, running about an hour and a half before wrapping by noon. Citizen Journal entered a float of its own. Float winners included Sonshine for preschool, Canton-Galva for kindergarten and royalty, the Canton-Galva royalty entry for best use of the 2026 theme "A Star Spangled Celebration," Pfizer for best commercial entry, and St. Joseph Catholic School for the Peoples Choice award.
The second annual ASD After Dark concert drew several hundred people to Wall Park in the evening, with a stage set up on the west side of the park near South Park Street. Gates opened at 5:30 p.m., with pre-opener Rylan Unruh taking the stage at 6 p.m. and Hywy 14 following at 7 p.m. Many families turned out, several food trucks worked long lines, and children played soccer and other games on the grass.
The Blaine Younger Band closed the night with a headlining set at 8:30 p.m. The all-Kansas ensemble draws its members from across the state, including Victoria, Jetmore, WaKeeney and Topeka. Blaine Younger took the stage in a Steve Hanson jersey, and other band members wore Inman and Canton-Galva jerseys.
A fireworks display launched from Wall Park after dark, running 15 to 20 minutes — comparable in quality to the community's Fourth of July show. The display drew spectators across the park and surrounding streets and closed out the day's main events.
The week's other events included the Madathon, Baby Crawl and Playtime in the Park at Linnea Park, a carnival at Wickersham Park, May Fete at McPherson High School Auditorium, and a downtown food court and sidewalk sale on the Plaza. The Button Hunt named Nikolous Rempe its virtual winner and Cassandra Slife the medallion winner. All Schools Day has been a McPherson County tradition since 1914. Saturday's events conclude the celebration with a 5K Fun Run and a pickleball tournament.
Video by Max Vidavsky.
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