Bellevue’s Beloved Parade Tradition Marches On for 54th Year
Bellevue’s Beloved Parade Tradition Marches On for 54th Year
The 54th Annual Arrows to Aerospace Celebration begins this week and culminates with a parade and various family events at Washington Park on Saturday. Once again, the Bellevue-Offutt Kiwanis Club is organizing all of the events. They have coordinated the Arrows to Aerospace parade and celebration for the past 37 years.
The parade starts this Saturday, August 16th, at 10am. The route starts near St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School at the top of Mission Avenue and runs down all the way to Washington Park, taking a left at the intersection of Franklin and Mission.
The early weather forecast calls for sunny skies and 80 degrees when the parade begins. No rain has been forecast for Saturday in Bellevue as of publication time.
There are currently around 80 entries for the 2025 parade, and Bellevue-Offutt Kiwanis Club President and Parade Chair Karen Mier indicated they are still working on confirmation from a few other possible participants. A complete listing of the confirmed entries can be found at the end of the article.
A couple of new entries this year include the Omaha Lancers, Bellevue Wrestling, and S & B Kountry Kennel.
Arrows to Aerospace has traditionally been one of the best-attended events in the Bellevue community. Mier says the parade averages around 8,000 people, with some years having a little more and others a little less.
Parade entrants will compete in various categories, including Best in Community, Best Overall, Best in Business, Best in Church, and Best Performance. Last year’s winners in each category included: Church of the Holy Spirit (Best in Church), Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 279 of Omaha (Best in Community), Kassebaum’s Martial Arts (Best in Business), Bellevue Alumni Band (Best Performance), and Bellevue East Marching Band (Best Overall).
The 2025 Judges panel includes Rebecca Zurcher, owner of Erwin’s Jewelers; Colonel Chad Backes, 55th Wing Deputy Commander, Offutt Air Force Base; and Sue Fjelstad, Bellevue Public Schools Coordinator of EL and Public Health, celebrating 35 years in BPS this year.
Fire Chief Perry Guido was selected to be the grand marshal of the 2025 parade. His many years of experience helped him when Bellevue was required to change from a volunteer staff to a part-time paid staff, then to full-time paid staff.
Other events offered throughout the day include a new Foam Party from 12:30pm-1:30pm and a Color the Bus activity from 1pm-2pm. Other events include a downhill mile race, bounce houses, boys and girls bike raffle, craft vendors, Music in the Park, cornhole and other games, and the Pancake Man and other food vendors. A complete listing of all of the events, along with their scheduled times, can be found on the Arrows to Aerospace Parade Event Page: https://bokiwanis.org/arrows-to-aerospace.
The overall celebration kicks off on Thursday, August 14th at 6:30pm with an event at the new Bellevue Public Library called Military Forts of the Missouri River by Jeff Barnes. On Friday, August 15th the celebration continues at the Bellevue Senior Center with music, lunch, and bingo from Noon-3pm, while the Sarpy County Museum will be hosting the Great Sarpy County Quilt Exhibit from 10am-4pm.
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Alphabetical List of Confirmed Parade Entries
- American National Bank
- Apollo Heating & Air
- Bellevue Alumni Association
- Bellevue Alumni Band
- Bellevue Dance Academy
- Bellevue East AFJROTC
- Bellevue East Chieftain Marching Band
- Bellevue East Spirit Squad
- Bellevue Fire Dept.
- Bellevue Food Pantry
- Bellevue Junior Sports
- Bellevue Lions Club
- Bellevue Little Theatre – Rocky Horror Show
- Bellevue Masonic Lodge
- Bellevue Police Dept.
- Bellevue Public Schools Transportation
- Bellevue Royal Rangers
- Bellevue Swim Club
- Bellevue University Military Veteran Services Center
- Bellevue West Air Force JROTC
- Bellevue West Cheerleading
- Bellevue West Marching Thunderbirds
- Bellevue West Thunderettes
- Bellevue Woman’s Club
- Bellevue Wrestling (BJSA)
- Bellevue-Offutt Kiwanis Club
- Centris Federal Credit Union
- Choose Life Now
- Christ the King Lutheran Church
- Church of the Holy Spirit
- Cobalt Credit Union
- Cub Scout Pack 457
- Cub Scout Pack 464 Bellevue
- Cub Scout Pack 483 / Scouting America
- Disabled American Veterans – William V. Brooks Chapter 47
- Eagle Hollow Scream Park
- Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping
- First Baptist School
- First Interstate Bank
- First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue
- FOE Bellevue Eagles Aerie #3912
- Freedom Cruisers Riding Club
- Gifford Farm Education Center
- Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska
- Goodwill Specialty Services, Inc. (GSSI)
- Grand Marshal – Perry Guido, Bellevue Fire Dept.
- Green Bellevue
- Greg London for Sheriff
- Hauptman, O’Brien, Wolf, & Lathrop
- Heritage Ridge
- Hike Real Estate
- Hillcrest Health & Living
- Home Instead
- Innovate Physical Therapy
- Knights of Columbus
- Little Sunflowers Daycare
- Madness Haunted House
- Major Isaac Sadler – La Belle Vue Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution
- Marine Corps League – Miguel Keith Detachment 609
- Mayor Rusty Hike
- Midlands Bible Baptist Church
- Omaha Area Escape Room Community
- Omaha Lancers USHL
- Richmont Senior Living
- S & B Kountry Kennel
- Santa Lucia Festival
- Sarpy County Democrats
- Sarpy County Historical Society / Sarpy County Museum
- Scouting America – Wagon Wheel District
- Skate City Bellevue
- Spring Lake Boys and Girls Club
- St. James United Methodist Church
- St. Mary’s Cub Scout Pack 305 and Boy Scout Troop 305
- St. Mary’s School
- Star Realty, Inc.
- The Foster Kitten Project
- Troop 483 B&G / Scouting America
- Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 279 of Omaha
- Visiting Angels
Photos courtesy of Phil Davidson, City of Bellevue
