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2019 Parade Award Winners

Thank you to everyone who participated and volunteered their time to make the 2019 King William Parade a sensational success! This year’s Parade theme, “Who Is King William • A Story About Community,” honored Texas’ first historic residential neighborhood by encouraging entries to tell their version of "Who is King William?" Each entry coordinated their theme to a storyline banner. These banners included quick facts on the history of the land, the people who settled in King William, the man behind the name, the businesses that support the neighborhood, and, most importantly, the many characters who have created the King William community we all have grown to love.
Parade participants were either entertaining, hilarious, and/or breathtaking. Our neighborhood Parade judges certainly had their work cut out for them as they selected the following entries to receive special distinction for their participation this year. And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
Who Is King William Krewe

Best Interpretation of the Parade’s Theme:

Who Is King William Krewe

This group of fun-loving neighborhood artists stepped up to the challenge of carrying a Parade storyline banner that read “Who Is King William? King of Prussia who united Germany.” They wore their zaniest but well-thought-out threads that expressed their interpretation of who Kaiser Wilhelm was. Cruising down the Parade route in and surrounding a vintage black 1946 Studebaker bus, this grand krewe was led by an eight-foot purple dragon puppet. The giant dragon created by Laurel Bodinus was carried on the shoulders of three people. Laurel equipped her dragon with moving parts, such as a mouth that opened and wings that flapped. Inside the Studebaker bus following the dragon was a mobile mini house party that included its own DJ, Edward Saavedra. Neighborhood friend and sculptor Jeremiah Teutsch proudly wore his handmade cabeza gigante Kaiser Wilhelm head. The people of this Parade kingdom were bright, colorful, and all full of life. The characters they created were as random as a walking hamburger that had been sighted the night before in a Cornyation skit to beautiful people adorned with antlers and slightly German-esque clothing. The “Who Is King William?” Krewe beautifully captured the true essence of what it’s like to be a neighborhood artist who strives in the King William community.
What the Heck, but It Worked

What the Heck, but It Worked

Mermaid Society of Texas

Rumor has it the freshwater mermaids that once populated the San Antonio River swam upstream to San Marcos. No one knows for sure why and when the mermaids and merdudes left town, so we didn’t want to overlook their place in our neighborhood’s historic story. The Mermaid Society of Texas helped the Parade recreate a San Antonio folklore that originated from the natives. This legend has been passed down over the years by word of mouth. The story is about a Blue Panther spirit who protects the sacred Blue Hole, the spring that feeds the San Antonio River. When the anhinga birds of the area would stop to drink from the spring, the Blue Panther would pounce to scare away the birds. This would create a shower of spring water droplets that would fall from the large wings of the anhinga birds, thus creating the flora and fauna of San Antonio.
Naturally, it makes sense to assume mermaids flourished in our river during this mystical time that existed over 300 years ago. The Mermaid Society of Texas traveled from the San Marcos River to join our Parade. Their float was created in a color palette that instantly made you feel cool, calm, and think for a quick second your lawn chair was an innertube floating on our own San Antonio River. Rich radiant teals, iridescent blues, seafoam greens, sultry purples, and shimmering golds were accented with various shades of magenta, yellow, and orange river flowers. The mermaids and merdudes wore their best accessories from underwater parasols to crowns made from flowers adorned with spring water shells, all while gracefully posing on top of a hand-painted water float. These mermaids and merdudes made everyone crave the lazy summer river days ahead of us.
Brotherhood of the Coast

Their Spirit Made You Have Spirit

Brotherhood of the Coast

A voyage by sea from the European continent to South Texas would rough up any traveler, but not these sailors! The Brotherhood of the Coast has been participating in the King William Parade for at least a decade. Each year, this group of tough sea dogs bring their A-game by engaging the Parade’s audience to holler out their best pirate “Arr!” The Parade’s story touches on why the European Germans left their homes to settle abroad in San Antonio, so the Brotherhood of the Coast represented the voyage across the pond in the mid-1800s.
The pirates floated down the Parade route in a handcrafted, faux wood finish pirate ship loaded with cannons and proudly flying their Black Jacks. These high-spirited pirates weren’t stingy with their loot.They were instead quick to share their colorful strands of jeweled booty with the Parade’s audience.
Best Show of Creativity

Best Show of Creativity

URBAN-15

The story of the Blue Panther that kicked off the Parade incorporated several entries. URBAN-15 played their part by providing a delight for your eyes and ears! This South Presa dance and drum ensemble created monarch butterfly costumes specifically for our Parade. The dancers led their swirling and twirling entry by wearing oversize butterfly wings that fluttered in conjunction with the movements of their arms. Sprinkled amongst the flock of monarchs were pink dancing flowers and hovering monarch butterflies fixed on top of long poles. The drum corps wore red and white Hawaiian shirts topped with white safari hats as they created rhythmic beats on their drums.
Best Comedic Relief

Best Comedic Relief

Miss SouthTown

During today’s revolution in the fight for equality it’s no surprise our Southtown community all-gender beauty pageant would dominate this award category. Hands down, Miss Southtown stole our hearts by making us laugh. Traditionally, these neighborhood artists and musicians ride their gazebo-style float while coordinating their attire to fulfill the Parade’s theme. In addition to their attire, every year they update their float’s theme by painting a “header” on the front end of their float. This year the pageant contestants swung from their float’s rafters dancing and rocking out as various cross-dressing members of the Queen William court. As to be expected, this float did have a handsome Kaiser Wilhelm true to style with his thick curly stash, chops, Pickelhelm, toilet bowl scrub brushes to act as his notoriously fringed shoulder pads, and his sexiest red dress. The girls groomed their facial hair and wore freshly pressed military-style uniforms, while another chose to wear a ball gown adorned with a red vato bandana crown. King Pelican led the fun behind this energetic Queen William performance by cranking out live surf rock from the Alamo city for the Parade audience.
Most Memorable Entry

Most Memorable Entry

Texas 1st Division Horse Cavalry

The Texas 1st Division Horse Cavalry are no strangers to marching in the King William Parade. In fact, last summer the Fair staff dug up photographic evidence the Horse Cavalry participated in the Parade during the 1980s, so the Fair staff invited the Cavalry to rejoin the fun. We were tickled pink when they accepted our invitation. It’s even more thrilling to know the Parade audience and neighborhood judges shared the same excitement. Eleven mounted horses marching down the Parade route, symbolizing King William has joined the union, took everyone’s breath away. The detachment is organized and equipped to represent the division as an 1870s era “horse Soldier” troop, complete with cavalry uniforms consisting of government issue blouses, trousers, hats, belts and boots, authentic firearms, sabers, saddles, and work details of the period. The days of mounted troops and squadrons may be behind us, but the spirit and traditions of the old cavalry lives on in today’s modern 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
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