Come and Take It parade deadlines announced

The deadline for those wishing to take part in the Come and Take It Parade for free will be at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, the Come and Take It Parade Committee announced.

Known as the “cradle of Texas independence,” Gonzales will again celebrate the firing of the first shot for Texas freedom with the annual Come and Take It Celebration, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 30 through Sunday, Oct. 2.

The Come and Take It Parade will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1. Judging will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and awards will be presented to winners when they pass the starting point of the parade.

Entries should be returned to the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture. After Aug. 12, entries will be $10 each between Aug. 13-26; $30 each between Aug. 27 through Sept. 12 and $50 from Sept. 13-23. After Sept. 23, no new entries will be accepted.

There is a limit on parade entries and it is first-come, first-served.

Committee members announced they are proud of Gonzales’ firearms heritage, so while extremely tragic and unwarranted events involving firearms have taken place in recent weeks around the nation, the committee determined it was best not to eliminate the exhibition of firearms, but to regulate them “so as to provide a safe environment for all.”

All parade entrants exhibiting functional firearms will be asked to unload their weapons and to sign a form attesting to this. A member of the Come and Take It Committee will be checking to see that each participant has signed the form and that each firearm is unloaded. Failure to comply with these rules will result in removal from or denied entry into the parade.