Sticking with tradition, city officials Friday announced the participation of the Dallas Cowboys for the upcoming McAllen Holiday Parade, this time bringing legendary Super Bowl champs Nate Newton and Tony Hill to the Rio Grande Valley’s largest Christmas shindig.
McAllen city leaders made the announcement Friday that Newton and Hill would be in attendance for the parade, which is in line with previous parades bringing former and current Cowboys to the city.
“For the past five years, the Dallas Cowboys’ schedule lent itself to allowing us to have current players join us at the best parade in the world, the best parade in Texas,” McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez said in a statement Friday. “However, for old school fans like me, it’s the Dallas Cowboys legends that we remember, the players who were on the Super Bowl champion teams that get us just as excited as for the new players.”
Hill played wide receiver for Dallas from 1977 to 1986, winning Super Bowl XII with the team against the Denver Broncos.
Newton played guard for the Cowboys from 1986 to 1998, and was a big part of a big offensive line that was one of the key ingredients to Dallas’ success in the ’90s, when he helped them win three Super Bowls.
“Our love of the Dallas Cowboys runs deep,” Rodriguez added. “For generations, we have cheered them on, starting with that legendary Doomsday Defense from the ’70s and on Dec. 3, we welcome fans from Texas and beyond to join us to cheer on their favorite Dallas Cowboys legends with the best fans in Texas: right here in McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley.”
The parade is “presented by H-E-B and powered by Bert Ogden Auto Group,” the city said in the statement, and will once again be hosted by “Saved by the Bell” star Mario López. Linda Tovar of H-E-B will also be hosting.
The city also credited Dr. Raul Peña and the Peña Eye Institute for the “Dallas Cowboys‘ fan experience” by bringing the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Hall of Fame Museum and Rowdy, the team mascot.
Officials said Friday that current players will not make an appearance at the parade this year due to the team’s schedule not allowing for it.
The parade is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at the McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, located at 2001 N. Bicentennial Blvd.
Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or at the McAllen Performing Arts Center box office, located at 801Convention Center Blvd.
Christmas in the Park will precede the parade festivities on Friday, Dec. 2 and runs through the next day at Municipal Park nearby to McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium. The event will include all the usual holiday fare, including food, music, a carnival, vendors and arts and crafts
Earlier this year, the city announced that community members can also become part of this year’s festivities, and one notable way includes a call for entries for the McAllen Holiday Shoebox Parade, which organizers described as consisting of “volunteer banner carriers and balloon handlers and high school bands throughout the region to perform in the holiday tradition.”
For more information, visit www.mcallenholidayparade.com.
