FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2005

CONTACT: Daniel P. Finney, (515) 271-2833 or Daniel.Finney@drake.edu

MORE PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR DRAKE RELAYS PARADE

Drake University is seeking more participants for the annual Drake Relays parade, which will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 23, in the Drake neighborhood.

Two years ago, the University moved the parade from downtown Des Moines back to the Drake neighborhood to draw attention and celebration to campus and its neighbors, which have grown closer in the past 10 years in part because of the Drake Neighborhood Improvement Task Force. The group was founded in 1995 to foster partnerships between the faculty, staff and students and surrounding residents.

“The parade generates a lot of enthusiasm in the area and is just a lot of fun,” said Dan Koenig, a member of the Drake Business Association and owner of Yankee Doodle Dande Tattoo at 24th Street and University Avenue. “It’s great to see all the people in our neighborhood seeing everything we have to offer.”

The grand marshal of this year’s parade will be Donald V. Adams, a Drake administrator for 36 years. Adams, who will retire in June, also serves as leader of the neighborhood task force and believes the parade symbolizes the spirit of camaraderie and cooperation between the University, its neighbors and all of Des Moines.

“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as grand marshal,” he said. “This is a fantastic event that has only prospered by returning to the neighborhood. The students, the staff and the faculty, as well as our friends in the business community and the neighborhood really take pride in this event. It’s really about how much they love the Relays.”

The parade will begin at 24th and University next to the Kinne Center and proceed west on University Avenue to 31st Street. The route turns north on 31st Street to Forest Avenue and runs past the McDonald’s restaurant. The parade turns east on Forest and returns to 24th Street.

The deadline to register for the parade is Friday, April 8. To participate in the event and get guidelines for floats and groups, call the Office of Student Life at (515) 271-3711.

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