SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane's Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade continued as planned, despite heavy rain and flooding that inundated the city on Thursday and Friday.
The parade started at about 7:45 p.m. on Saturday in downtown Spokane.
The weather forecast for Saturday night called for cloudy skies, but festival attendees managed to avoid the rain as the weather stayed dry.
2019 marks the 81st year of the parade, which is the largest torchlight military parade in the nation.
The following bands won the Lilac "Gold Standard" Award for this year's parade, which is given to bands who meet standards in at least eight of 11 categories during the parade. The categories cover ares such as music, marching and effect. Any size band can win the award.
The bands that won the award this year are:
- Rogers High School
- Davenport High School
- Liberty High School
- Mt. Spokane High School
- Lewis & Clark High School
- Medical Lake High School
- Mariachi al Lado Del Sol
- Sunnyside High School
- West Valley High School
- Kentlake High School
- Jenkins High School
- Riverside/Deer Park HS
- Cheney High School
- Ferris High School
- The Beat Goes On
- Shadle Park High School
- Sultan High School
- Colville High School
- Northwood Middle School
- Mead High School
- North Central High School
- Freeman High school
- Central Valley High School
- Highland High School
- University High School
- Kamiak High school
- Moses Lake High School
- East Valley High School
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