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Crosstown Showdown Parade set
• Smyrna Park route set for August 31
Crosstown Parade

The Crosstown Showdown has become a Ceres tradition.

Every year since 2006, the Central Valley High School Hawks and the Ceres High School Bulldogs have gone head to head under the Friday night lights, to the roar of a captivated crowd.

This year, there’s even more to cheer about: a Crosstown Showdown Parade will be held Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 4 to 5 p.m. around Smyrna Park.

Staff of the city of Ceres and the Ceres Unified School District met before the start of the new school year to discuss the possibility of a parade.

“There’s already so much community support for the Crosstown Showdown football games,” said Dan Pangrazio, CUSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services. “A parade just seemed like a natural next step in bringing our city together, showcasing community spirit, and celebrating our athletes and schools.”

The parade will begin on Fowler Road between the Ceres Lions Pavilion and Mae Hensley Junior High School. Athletes, cheerleaders and marching bands from both high schools will march east, make right turns onto Rose Avenue, Garrison Street, Moffett Road, and back onto Fowler to return to the starting point. Central Valley High School will step off first, as decided by a coin toss.

Letters were mailed to residents who may be affected by road closures along the route.

The Crosstown Showdown football games will take place two days later on Friday, Sept. 2 at the CUSD Stadium. Junior varsity plays at 5 p.m. and varsity at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at https://gofan.co/app/events/655948?schoolId=CA22525 or at the gate.