Bell Tower Festival Parade Form

The annual BTF Parade is hosted by the Rotary Club of Jefferson. The parade is scheduled for 11:00 am on Saturday, June 13th, 2026. The route begins at the Greene County Middle School (101 Ram Drive, Jefferson), with registration at the Highway 4 entrance. A parade committee member will direct you to your placement in the parade line-up.

Please complete the Parade Entry Form and be sure to fill out the 'length of entry' and the number of vehicles. You will be asked to sign an insurance release on the day of the parade. No charge for parade entry through Friday, June 12th. Day-of entries will be charged $20 cash.

We request that all entries arrive at the Middle School no later than 10:00 am (9:30 am if you'd like to be judged) so that we can get entries lined up in time for the start of the parade. As with all public events, safety is of the utmost importance to the festival and parade committees. The Bell Tower Festival and the Rotary Club of Jefferson reserve the right to immediately remove anyone deemed as acting in an unsafe manner during the parade. Entries with significant height must be able to safely navigate the parade route without touching power or telephone wires and trees. Large trucks and floats with obstructed views must provide walking participants to help with safe navigation. Horse entries are allowed only if they come with their own clean-up crew that follows throughout the parade.

*NEW ROUTE* The parade begins at the middle school as usual and continues north on Chestnut. The route will then head EAST on Lincoln Way and end one block EAST of the museum, stopping at Olive St. You will be reminded day of and instructed to follow the flow of traffic.

There is an event all weekend at the fairgrounds, so their parking lots will be unavailable.

For the drivers of floats or trailers you will set up at the middle school and should be free to go once you drop off your riders/walkers after the end of the route. Our post-parade route: turn north on Olive St, drop off any riders, head West on Washington St, and turn onto highway 4 to get where you need to go!

Judging - You may choose to have your entry judged in any or all of the below categories:

• Stars & Stripes --Recognizing the most creative and visually striking use of red, white, and blue.
• Most Creative - Human Powered -- Celebrating crowds with decortaed bikes, patriotic kids, themed walkers, and coordinated pet units.
• Most Creative - Small-Wheels -- Highlighting golf carts, mini-bikes, ATVs, and mini 'floats' with spirited patriotic themes.
• Liberty & Greene County Legends -- Honoring floats that best celebrate Greene County's symbols, history, and heritage.

*a float is defined as a trailer which is pulled by a vehicle. The trailer should be fully decorated and can include people riding the float. The pulling vehicle and additional walkers or vehicles can be decorated to compliment the float.

Due to the expected large number of entries for judging, any entry that has not been properly staged into the parade by 9:30 am will not be eligible for judging. It is recommended to arrive at the Parade Registration area no later than 9:15 am to assure sufficient time to be properly staged by 10:00 am. Judging will begin promptly at 9:45 am. The determination of the judges chosen by the Rotary Club of Jefferson will be final.

Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Bell Tower Festival Parade - we can't wait to see you in June!