Lava streets crowded with Founder’s Day activities

Those who were not floating down the river this past weekend were most likely floating down Main Street.

This weekend people flocked into Lava Hot Springs for the annual Founder’s Day Parade and weekend-long celebration.

“For the community, it’s a celebration of the Founder’s Day for the city of Lava,” American Legion Vice Commander of Post 88 Mike Doyle said. “It went from Hall City to Lava Hot Springs and then it was incorporated as Lava Hot Springs.”

Parade organizer Allison Hinz said she spoke to an historian from the Lava museum who said the earliest recorded photo of the parade is not marked with a date, but estimates the parade started back in 1915, the year Lava became a city.

Sadie Davids, 12, and her friends said they have all been in the parade for the past five years.

“It is kind of fun for everyone to come together and have events come on and just everyone have fun and chill,” Davids said.

13-year-old Leon Craig along with 10-year-old Mallory Davids and Dalyn Koester and Alexis Storr, 12, said the best part about the parade is all of the free candy thrown-out into the crowd during the parade.

Doyle said attendance was down this year, as compared to the previous years he and his fellow comrades from the Post 88 American Legion have participated in the parade.

“This year we got a little worried because there was nobody here until around 5:30. I’ve seen it bigger.”

Despite the lower than usual turnout, the streets were still packed with parade-goers of all ages. Doyle said it was heartwarming to see even the youngsters still remember the meaning of the Founder’s Day parade.

“For me, it’s the respect of the flag…the flag has no other character than what we pass on from generation to generation and if we don’t pass it on from generation to generation, then the kids don’t learn.”