Dunbar holds its 68th Easter parade

The community of Dunbar came out to celebrate Easter Sunday at the 68th Annual Dunbar Easter parade.

As the 3 p.m. start of the parade got closer, crowds grew thick along the first leg of the parade trail, which stretched from the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Ford Avenue to the intersection of MLK and Palm Avenue.

Shavon Chester, 29, was one of the parade officials.

Chester has lived in Dunbar her whole life, but this was her first year as a parade official. She felt grateful for the chance to help keep this annual community tradition strong.

?I have always attended the parade, but it has been incredible to be behind the scenes organizing this year,? she said.

Chester said the parade featured 78 entries this year, a number she found very exciting.

Even more exciting for Chester was having the Dunbar High School Lady Tigers basketball team as the grand marshals of the parade. The Lady Tigers had 30 wins and one loss in the 2011-2012 season, making them the Class 4A Girls Basketball State Champions.

?For the Lady Tigers to be state champions is just a huge deal, especially for Dunbar,? Chester said. ?The team was very honored to be named the grand marshals of the parade.?

Like Chester, Patricia Brunson, 63, has attended the parade her entire life.

?It is healthy for the heart of this community to celebrate who we are,? Brunson said.

The first Dunbar Easter parade was held in 1945 when teacher Evelyn Sams Canady helped found the Dunbar Easter Club, which was responsible for the Dunbar Easter Parade. Canady wanted her students to have an opportunity to celebrate their heritage through a parade to rival the annual Festival of Light held by the City of Palms.

Jacqui Francois, 28, brought her 3-year-old daughter, Shanise, to the parade.

?This is a special day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and this parade is a beautiful display of that celebration,? Francois said.

Shanise, wearing a pink and yellow Easter dress with matching pink shoes, carried a colorful basket to collect candy thrown from the parade floats.

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A silver Mustang convertible carrying parade dignitary Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson and the Easter Bunny passed, and Shanise excitedly jumped up to receive a handful of candy and eggs from the rabbit.

Closely following was a pontoon boat float featuring the Dunbar High School Lady Tigers. A truck driven by Dunbar Head Coach Dwayne Donnell pulled the boat, which carried team members, parents, coaches and assistant coaches.

?I feel like a superstar,? one team member exclaimed from the boat.

Francois felt that the Lady Tigers were the perfect choice to be grand marshals of the parade.

?That team being champions was one of the best things to happen to Dunbar this year, and you can tell that everybody is very proud of them,? she said.

?Go Dunbar!? Francois shouted to the Lady Tigers as they passed by.

The team was met with the same enthusiasm throughout the length of the parade trail, which continued from MLK to take a left on Palm Avenue; a left turn on Edison Avenue; a left turn on Ford, ending at the intersection of Ford and MLK.

?It felt good for the community of Dunbar to celebrate the Lady Tigers and share their support for the team,? Chester said. ?They are as close to royalty as we are going to get.?

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