Once again Trophy Gardens RV Resort residents presented a great turnout of entries for Alamo’s Texas Independence Day Parade celebration on March 7.

The residents offered spectators the delight of ice cream in being “Alamoed” during the annual event that marks Texas gaining freedom from Mexico in 1836. The efforts did not go unnoticed by the judges who awarded the champion overall trophy and the first-place trophy to the RV park in Alamo.

The overall award went to entries of two golf carts decorated as “ice cream wagons” driven by year-round Glyn-Ken and Lynn Massingill and Winter Texans from Minnesota Ken and Linda Svenby. The foursome considers Ken the engineer for the theme each year. In fact, Lynn said Ken will begin contemplating the 2027 theme as soon as its announced, usually in August.

Most of those in the Trophy Gardens park had a part in earning the first-place trophy awarded after the parade. The entries included a parade of golf carts, bicyclists and the always popular line dancers.

Second place trophy belonged to Winter Ranch RV Resort residents, who also had line dancers perform. Third place went to a float from the law firm of Javier Villarreal.

Other participants in the parade included the Alamo mayor, city commissioners, municipal judge, police and fire chiefs, Miss Alamo for 2026 and the Duchess on her court, a “Citizen of the Year” awardee, Girl Scouts, Wolverine High School band and a color guard from Edinburg to name some.

Among the spectators along the route were two Winter Texan couples who had become friends while staying at Alamo Rec-Veh Park several years ago. But now John and Rose Miller, from Oklahoma, and Leroy and Sue Greenlee, from Iowa, have been at Trophy Gardens for the past two seasons. They came to the parade to support their friends from the park.

Both couples were high on their park with Sue certain there is just about every activity you might think of. She mentioned the recently dedicated pickleball courts which she plays on. Plans are to hopefully raise funds to put a soft cover top over them to make them a little cooler on hot days.

Both couples indicated the warm winter weather was an important incentive that drew them to the Valley. John, a U.S. Army and reserve veteran from 1965 to ’86, said they enjoyed the friendliness of the people in the park. That was seconded by Sue during their three-month vacation each season here.

Back in Oklahoma the Millers belong to the Thursday Night Cruisers, driving around in Rose’s 1971 Special Edition hardtop Mustang. Rose said she saved her money for that first car of hers way back then. They live near the Route 66 Highway and plan to do some cruising on part of the famous route running from Chicago to LA. The “Mother Road” is marking its 100th anniversary this year.

The annual local parade is one of only a few in the entire state of Texas to mark its independence from Mexico, which includes honoring the 13-day siege of the Alamo Mission in San Antonio defended by 189 Texans against soldiers of General Santa Anna’s army 190 years ago. The fight became the famed battle cry, “Remember the Alamo.”