Parade entrants included the Parkside Piranhas Swim Team, Cub Scout Pack 902, San Tan Chorale, Florence Women’s Club, Florence Little League, American Family Insurance, The 100 Club of Arizona, John Acton for District 2 Supervisor, Paul Babeu for Sheriff, Barbara Kelly for Pinal County Recorder, Tisha Castillo for District 2 Supervisor, Ty Morgan for Sheriff, Hamilton Partners and a lot of kids on bikes, wagons and scooters. The winners of each category were: Team Downey in Kid Bike/Wagon category; Judy McDowell and her dog, KC, in the Pet category; Cub Scouts Pack 902 in the Clubs/Business category; Yvette and Rita Stack in the Golf Cart category; and The 100 Club in the Motorcycle category.
When asked about the event, Mayor Rankin said, “Anytime we get out and meet the people, and they make suggestions for the town; well, that’s a good thing. It takes everybody working together to make a great community, and I think that’s what we have here.”
The Anthem at Merrill Ranch Community also hosted a Free Waterpark Day to the public from 10 am to 4 pm at the Big Splash Waterpark at the Parkside Community Center. Over 200 people from neighboring communities were eager to enjoy the Waterpark and came by before the parade to pick up their wristbands. From there, the festivities continued in downtown Florence with kid activities, competitions, live music and fireworks at 8:30 pm.
Anthem at Merrill Ranch is the new Anthem in the southeast Valley, located just north of historic Florence Arizona. Anthem at Merrill Ranch is a master planned community, combining Anthem Parkside family neighborhoods and Sun City Anthem active adult living into one larger, multi-generational community. For more information on Anthem at Merrill Ranch, visit www.AnthemMR.com. The Anthem Community Council holds several events each year that are open to the public, including the Florence Freedom Parade at Anthem. You can find out more about all the events at www.amrevents.com.
