Parades
Every four years the Mock Convention parade is held on a Friday morning, kicking off the weekend’s festivities on Washington and Lee’s campus. The parade includes a float from each state delegation as well as floats from United States territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Democrats Abroad. This year the parade floats followed a route beginning at Waddell Elementary School going down Main Street then up Washington Street and through campus to reach the ending point at the Duchossois Tennis Center, where the convention took place.
Each delegation was allocated a budget for their float based on their membership rather than the state’s actual population. For example, Montana is a sparsely populated state however their Mock Convention delegation was composed of a large portion of Washington and Lee students meaning that they had a larger budget than delegations that had fewer members.
Floats generally represent what each state is famous or known for, some even included fun twists. For example the 2020 North Carolina delegation’s float depicted the Blue Ridge Mountains, an airplane alluding to the Wright brothers and a Bojangles sign. Some state delegations are more extreme, like the Guam delegation that featured a hot tub on their float.
Below is an application for participation in the parade for the 1956 Mock Convention. The appliation has been completed by Halifax County High School Marching Band. The band consisted of 110 instruments and performed in military-style blue & white uniforms. This goes to show how not only did Washington and Lee University students get involved in the convention, but also nearby students and communities.