Twyla Scott, chairman of the North Dakota State Parade Committee, stands along Burdick Expressway where next Saturday the parade will be traveling on its way to the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. Eloise Ogden/MDN

Everyone loves a parade is the old saying. Twyla Scott is no different. She loves being part of the North Dakota State Parade and this year is special. It’s the first parade for her in her new position as its chairman.

Scott, of Glenburn, replaced Jim Clifford, who was chairman of the parade committee for a number of years. Scott was elected to the position on Sept. 21, 2021.

“But this will be the first parade since I was elected,” she said.

Leslie Middaugh, Minot, is vice chairman of the parade committee.

This year’s parade is Saturday, July 23, beginning at 9:15 a.m. sharp from the intersection of Broadway and Burdick Expressway. From there, approximately 200 entries will travel down Burdick Expressway to the North Dakota State Fairgrounds.

Before being on the parade committee, Scott was a parade spectator.

“I’m a local girl. Born and raised here in North Dakota,” Scott said. She was born in Dickinson and grew up in Glenburn “from the time I was 6 years old,” she said.

She is chief of Non-Appropriated Funds Human Resources at Minot Air Force Base.

Scott has been a member of the N.D. State Parade Committee since 2019.

“This is my fourth year on the committee but this will be my third parade,” she said. She said there was no parade in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There also was no parade in 2011 due to the Souris River flood.

Scott said she got involved with the N.D. State Parade Committee when she spotted an advertisement on Facebook asking for volunteers.

“I thought, ‘I’ve loved the parade for so many years.’ I thought, ‘Let me see what this is about,'” she recalled. She answered the message and became part of the committee.

As a committee member, she said, she has done “about everything” from working the day of the parade as well as planning up to it.

Scott said they start working in February for the next year’s parade.

“Each February is when we start having meetings,” she said. “In that timeframe is when we determine who our grand marshal is going to be.”

This year’s grand marshal of the parade will be the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Scott said the committee made plans for 200 entries this year but are beyond that number. As of Friday, she said they have 203 entries in the parade.

“It’s our 40th – 40 years of parades,” Scott said, sporting a T-shirt with the slogan on it. “We’ve (N.D. State Parade Committee) been in existence 42 years but this is our 40th parade,” she said.

Although many people refer to the parade as the North Dakota State Fair Parade, she said it is not affiliated with the State Fair but the North Dakota State Fair Foundation supports it.

She said the committee has an average of about 20 people. Ken “Dizzy the Clown” Gillespie, one of the founding members, has been on the committee for 42 years. Roxy Volk and Cheryl Stein are longstanding members.

Scott said they advertise to get units to join the parade through The Minot Daily News and other media.

“This is a huge thing for North Dakota and for Minot,” she said.

“We have over 50 new entries this year that have never joined us before,” she said. She said there are units coming from as far away as Williston and Medora.

Just prior to the parade, the 5K Run the Route, sponsored by The Minot Daily News and other North Dakota businesses, is held.

“There’s so many puzzle pieces to put together for this – entries, lineup, awards. Just the planning part takes five to six months,” Scott said.

Parade entries can request to be judged, Scott said. She said there are 12 different awards presented.

“We have different judges every year so that we get a different viewpoint,” she said.

Getting good parade weather is always in demand for that Saturday, according to Scott.

“We like a cool, sunny day,” Scott said. She said she has been watching the forecast for what it will be on July 23.

“We start on the corner of Burdick and Broadway and we follow Burdick Expressway all the way through the fairgrounds. We exit on the northeast corner,” Scott said.

She said they want people to enjoy the day but they also want to stress safety to the parade watchers.

“Don’t run out to the street to get the candy,” she said. Candy cannot be thrown from parade vehicles but walkers can hand out candy and other goodies to parade watchers.

New this year will be eight port-a-potties placed along the parade route for the spectators, Scott said. She said the port-a-potties will be located at Town and Country Mall main entrance; the corner of Burdick and Broadway; Dunn Diehl Dental on Burdick; parade judges stand near the Ward County Courthouse; across the street from Coca-Cola; near the train engine at Roosevelt Park Zoo; in the open area east of the river; and between the west gate and south gate at the fairgrounds.

“It’s a lot of work. It’s a dedication. It’s a work of love. I really enjoy doing all of this. I love being a part of the process,” Scott said.

To parade-goers, she said, “Enjoy taking in the beautiful sights.”

State Fair starts Friday

The North Dakota State Fair opens in Minot on Friday, July 22, and runs through Saturday, July 30.

For a list of fair hours, daily schedules, entertainment, other attractions and more, visit ndstatefair.com.

According to the State Fair website:

— Junior gate admission for ages 7-12 is $5 per day and adult gate admission for ages 13 and up is $12. Those planning to attend the fair for more than two days can purchase a season pass. An adult pass is $25 and a junior pass is $15.

— Gate admission is a separate ticket and is not included with a concert ticket.

— Kids 6 and younger get into the fair for free. They can also attend concerts and Grandstand events at no cost as long as they do not take up a reserved seat. Strollers are not allowed in the reserved area.

Due to artist restrictions, the country concerts are only available with the seven-night Grandstand Showpass.