More than 75 participants marched, danced and rode on horseback down Poway Road on Saturday, Sept. 12, for the 61st annual Poway Rotary Parade.
The Rotary Club of Poway-Scripps chose "Spirit of Volunteers" as this year's theme. Grand Marshal John Couvrette skipped the traditional convertible ride. Instead, he organized a float on a 30-foot flatbed truck loaned by EDCO waste disposal service, dedicated to Poway's nonprofits, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
"Instead of me being on the back of a car waving at people, I've gone to my friends at EDCO waste disposal service and they're loaning me a 30-foot flatbed truck and we're building a float dedicated to all the nonprofits in Poway," Couvrette said in a Sept. 3 preview before the parade.
Couvrette, vice-chair of the Poway Chamber of Commerce, also chairs the chamber's Nonprofit Consortium. The network includes 65 nonprofits serving Poway and surrounding areas.
He and his wife, Ginger, co-founded the Poway Community Foundation in 2023. The foundation is in its third year of issuing grants to Poway-based nonprofits.
The Poway Volunteer Senior Patrol led the parade, carrying the U.S. flag, the California flag and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department flag. The route ran from Pomerado and Poway roads east to Bowron Road.
Daniel Brenner, past president of the Rotary Club of Poway-Scripps, said the theme highlighted the work of nonprofits and the many volunteer opportunities in the community. Groups in the lineup included the Poway Unified School District, Poway Chamber of Commerce, Villa de Vida, Poway Library, Soroptimists International of Poway, Poway Democratic Club, Rancho Bernardo Republican Women and the Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society.
First responders, restaurants and religious organizations also took part. Dancers, marching bands and martial arts demonstrations filled out the route.
Before the parade, Brenner said a choir would perform at the grandstand near the Poway Library, a new addition for 2026 meant to entertain spectators waiting at the end of the route.
The parade dates to 1962, when the city began holding Poway Days each September, Brenner said in the Sept. 3 interview. The original organizers dropped the event in 2017 because of cost and workload. The Rotary Club of Poway-Scripps picked it up that same year and has run it since.
Upcoming community dates
The Rancho Bernardo Community Planning Board votes on a proposed 122-townhome project Thursday, Sept. 17. Poway Unified holds a facilities workshop Thursday, Sept. 24.
