SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Lilac Festival took over downtown Spokane, as the annual Torchlight Parade lit up the city's streets.
Bands, fancy cars, and army trucks were just part of the spectacle of this Spokane tradition as more than 50,000 people turned out for the Torchlight Parade..
"I've been coming to the parade since 98," said parade attendee Crystal Bolster. "It's really fabulous. I love it, because it's something I like about Spokane is a sense of community."
The Spokane Lilac Festival takes place every third Saturday of May, the same day as Armed Forces Day.
"I started actually in high school as a student and marched as a freshman there in 2006," Joshua Wisswell said. "It's great to see everyone just in the non-competitive spirit just hit the streets."
Wisswell now directs Cheney High School's band in the parade.
They were just one of more than 150 parade entries. The parade wasn't the only event. Before the sun went down, the festivities included a car show and a vendor marketplace.
"It's great to relive the memories of our past," Merlin Thykeson said.
Thykeson and his 1963 red Corvette joined the car show. It's the first time he's taken part in the Lilac Festival car show.
"The crowds have been fabulous," Thykeson said. "Entertainment in the park is great and the food vendor so we've had a good day even with a little rain."
More than 30 vendors participated in the marketplace, including Zack Robertson. He's a veteran.
"It's definitely awesome. Good to see all the crowd," Robertson said. "Everyone gets excited about celebrating veterans in the military."
It's one of Spokane's favorite traditions.
"The Lilac Festival Association's mission is to honor our military and power our youth and showcase our region," Carly Cortright said. "It's building memories. And it's something to really again, remember as a community that we are the lilac city."
Cortright is this year's co-president for the Spokane Lilac Festival Association. She says the parade and the day's festivities showcase what the city's all about.
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