It’s been one of El Paso’s favorite ways to start its Fourth of July celebrations for nearly 30 years.
And this year’s Rotary Club of West El Paso parade — which started in 1998 — was a colorful expression of patriotism in the Borderland.
The parade kicked off at Western Hills Methodist Church, 524 Thunderbird Drive, and proceeded along Mesa Street and ended near Coronado High School.
Head UTEP volleyball coach Ben Wallis served as the parade marshal. Wallis enjoyed a record-setting season with an epic run that ended in a close loss to the University of Oklahoma in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
The Miners volleyball team joined their coach in the parade.
“We love the support they give us and it’s fun for us to just go out in into a city that loves and… is very endearing to our team,” Wallis said.
For many El Pasoans, the West Side parade is a family tradition.
Sukie Mijarez has been attending this parade for years now with her husband and granddaughter. She said she enjoys seeing the community come together to have a good time.
“(It’s a) good vibe, seeing the people celebrate,” Mijarez said.
For Crystal Morales, the parade meant an early start to the Fourth of July weekend. Her mom, who still attends the parade with her, would bring her and her siblings as children to the parade while they were still asleep.
“She would get us up and we’d be asleep in the car,” Morales said.
Mom would wake them for the fun as the floats started rolling down the busy El Paso street.
Since they have attended the parade for many years, they have been able to witness changes in the city and cherish the traditions that are one of their favorites.
“Older men, they would come in the little chaps … and they had little guns and they would shoot them in the air,” Morales said. “The ladies with their big dresses, they had the feather up there. And this guy would always come with his big jacket and we knew he was here.”
The West Side Independence Day parade is one of two major parades held annually in El Paso. The El Paso Del Norte Lions celebrated their “America the Beautiful” parade as well. It was the club’s 48th year playing host to the parade that started at Hanks High School on Lee Trevino and Montwood streets.
Abrielle Kate Madison may be reached at amaddison@gannett.com; @AbrielleKate.Photo on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Fourth of July weekend starts off strong in Borderland
Reporting by Abrielle Kate Maddison, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
