Led by Sesame Street and The Muppets puppeteer Bradley Freeman as Grand Marshal, the Brownsville Independent School District marched down Elizabeth Street Thursday afternoon as the BISD Children’s Charro Days Parade led off the lineup of parades for Charro Days 2022.
Every one of BISD’s 57 schools had a place in the parade, from floats to cheer leaders to high school marching bands, drill teams and dance teams. In all there were 124 entries in the parade.
“I’m just excited and so glad to see everyone back for our BISD parade, and for our children to be part of our Charro Days tradition here in Brownsville,” Superintendent Rene Gutierrez said as the parade entries queued up in front of Sams Memorial Stadium to begin marching. “Everyone is excited and they’re glad to be back.”
The Hanna Early College High School Strutters dance team went fourth in the lineup and shared Gutierrez’s enthusiasm.
“It’s amazing. After two years we are all excited. It’s been a long wait,” Strutters dance director Vanessa Cortez Escmilla said.
“Everyone’s excited. Since we weren’t able to do it last year, we’re excited to do it this year,” Strutters sisters Alejandra and Carolina Mendez said. “We’re going to put on a show for the crowd, twirl our skirts and have fun.”
Not far behind, Brite Elementary School Principal Nicole Clint had her school lined up and ready to take its place, also dancing.
“It’s exciting and I’m glad to be here,” fourth-grader Alicia Guererro said.
This was the first year BISD had a grand marshal for the parade. The district chose Freeman as an example of a BISD alumnus who has achieved recognition on the national stage, said Anibal Villarreal, Department of Fine Arts department theater arts adviser and Freeman’s mentor when he was at Veterans Memorial Early College High School.
Freeman said he had been puppeteering since age 5 and actively pursued it as a career.
“I just kept practicing and brought them into the theater and into middle school,” he said. “I just kept working at it and then in 2018 Sesame Street had an open call for a workshop they were teaching, and so out of 500, 30 were chosen and I was one of 30. A couple of years later they asked me to audition for a character and I got it.”
Charro Days 2022 continues Friday with Hands Across the Border, a ceremony recognizing ties between Brownsville and Matamoros and celebrating this year’s Mr. Amigo, Broadway and television actress and singer Bianca Marroquin, who was born in Monterrey, grew up in Matamoros and went to high school in Brownsville.
The Illuminated Night Parade sponsored by IDEA Public Schools follows at 7 p.m. Friday, followed at 12:30 p.m. Saturday by the Color Guard Parade. The Grand International Parade follows at 1 p.m. down Elizabeth Street to International Boulevard.
Sombrero Festival continues through Saturday in Washington Park.
To see more of BISD Children’s Charro Days Parade, view Brownsville Herald photojournalist Denise Cathey’s full photo gallery here:
