A fire performance group, women’s flat track roller derby league, hula hooping troupe and four musical acts are just a few things planned for the True/False March March Parade on Friday.
The parade will begin at the Boone County Courthouse Square at 5:30 p.m. and end in front of the Missouri Theatre around 6 p.m., where everyone will culminate for a 15-minute block party.
Anybody is welcome to be in the parade, as long as they arrive by 4:30 p.m. Simply come ready to make noise, wear a colorful, imaginative outfit and bring creative props. Past participants have worn wigs, masks, long fur coats, boas and a wide array of costumes.
Ron Ribiat is excited to take the event to another level during his first year as parade director and marshal, and ensures it will be a “delight for the eyes and ears.”
“I think Mike Denehy, who has been the marshal for the past few years, did a fantastic job and I just want to add up to that — to the awesome legacy we have,” Ribiat says.
Ribiat is most excited about a new feature to this year’s parade: a “secret art project” including two large, moveable pieces.
Meg Rivers, the artistic lead, directed a building crew and art crew to implement the project based off of project “visionary” Jody Schomaker’s idea.
Though Rivers could not reveal much about the display, she says it goes along with the magic realism theme and is “big, visible and funny.”
“I agreed to (take on the role of artistic lead) because True/False has been around for a while and has had a significant impact on our town,” Rivers says. “It was nice to get involved with True/False for the first time and contribute something.”
Missouri Contemporary Ballet (MCB) is also looking forward to its first time being involved in the festival.
“We did the Mizzou Homecoming Parade (this year), which was the first time we’d done a parade in the community,” MCB Director of Operations Joanne Sandorfi says. “We had a good time doing that; other people in the parade and people who came to watch were so excited and we fed off their energy.”
MCB’s 10 dancers will be part of the parade and block party, and Sandorfi says they are honored to be a part of the celebration.
“We’re just really looking forward to being a part of this big community event,” Sandorfi says. “True/False has always been a staple of Columbia.”