The Wandering Disciple

The red, white and blues of our great nation arrive on horseback during the Pioneer Day Parade held annually in Englewood during Labor Day weekend. The American Flag is the symbol of our nation’s freedom and independence. With 13 stripes representing the original thirteen colonies and 50 starts representing the states of the union, the flag is all about symbolism. (Photo: September 5, 2011)

Englewood, Florida: Every year while the nation celebrates the Labor Day holiday, the town of Englewood celebrates its birthday with a weekend long festival called Pioneer Days. The event culminates with a parade through historic downtown Englewood on Monday morning. Several hundred spectator’s lined the street to watch the decorated floats of this year’s parade. The theme of the 56th annual Pioneer Days Parade was “Hats Off to Englewood”. Englewood Pioneer Days was started in 1956 by newspaper write Josephine Cortes to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first pioneer settlers to Englewood. Over the years, the event has transformed to a weekend long event to help conclude the end of the traditional summer season. Click on the photo above to view the photo gallery from the 2012 Englewood Pioneer Days Parade .

Englewood, Florida: Hundreds of people lined the streets of Old Englewood for the annual Pioneer Days parade on a sunny Labor Day morning. Over eighty entries traveled down the parade route, entertaining the spectators along the way. The theme of this year's parade was the Spirit of Englewood. The annual Labor Day extravaganza kicked off on Saturday with a weekend long schedule of family fun. A cardboard boat race, dance, fishing derby and many more events led up to Monday's parade and festival. The event is in its fifty fifth year as it originated in 1956 by Josephine Cortes. It was started to commemorate the first settlers to Englewood in 1896. The event was later moved to the Labor Day weekend and has grown each and every year. Click on the photo above to view the photo gallery from the 2011 Pioneer Days Parade .