Little circus performers steal the show at the TVE Baby Parade in Liberty

Liberty, Texas is home to one of the oldest baby parades in the country – the Trinity Valley Exposition (TVE) Baby Parade, which proudly bears the title of “oldest true baby parade in the United States.”

In this treasured tradition, local families decorate their little ones with creative costumes based on a different theme each year. The parade, held this year on Saturday, October 12, was themed “The Greatest Show on Earth” and filled the streets of downtown Liberty with circus-inspired floats, costumes and performances.

This year’s parade was sponsored by Hometown Tire and Auto and featured a variety of participants in the walking, riding, small float and large float categories.

Below is a breakdown of the charming and creative entries that wowed parade-goers:

Walking department:

• “The Lion Tamer” It starred Morgan Brown, 4, as a brave lion tamer and her younger sibling Everly Brown, 3 months old, as a lion. The two are the children of Kevin and Lauren Brown.
• Star Twirl Cheer & Gyma gym for children from Liberty and Chambers counties, marched proudly with his team. Led by instructors Julie Campbell, Chloe Sims, Karon Phillips and Denise Cowan, the group continues its tradition of supporting TVE.

Riding department:

• “The Tiger Show” depicted children Meche and Williams as roaring tigers and the fearless tamer. The tigers were Ruby Meche, 5, the daughter of Ross Meche and Kimberly Harris; McKenna Meche, 5, the daughter of Kayla and Ryan Meche; and Annslea Williams, 1, the daughter of Allison and Reid Williams. The tiger tamer was Myles Meche, 3, the son of Kayla and Ryan Meche.
• “I’m just here for the snacks.” portrayed a concession stand worker played by 8-month-old Austin Briggs McNeely, the son of Kaleb and Sarah McNeely.
• “Concession Stand Sweetie” brought sweet treats to life with Caroline Caldwell, 1, as Cotton Candy, the daughter of Trevor and Shelby Caldwell; Logan Koen, 2, as Candy Apple, the daughter of Cameron and Kadie Koen; Paxton Ballenger, 8 months, as Lollipop, the son of Kevin Ballenger and Jacelyn Traeger; and Naomi Deckert, 9 months, as Popcorn, the daughter of Cody and Taylor Deckert.
• “The Magic Show” wowed the crowd with Parker Ward, 8 months old, playing cards, the son of Kora and Ross Ward; Brooke Lacefield, 6 months, as a rabbit, and Preston Lacefield, 2, as a wizard, both children of Shelby and Jon Lacefield.
• “Bumper Car” Featured siblings Lucy Potetz, 3, and Mack Potetz, 1, the children of Cullen and Julie Potetz.
• “Here Comes Monkey Trouble and We’re Not Lion” Depicted were Palmer Mearns, 2, as Monkey, the daughter of Jarret and Kristin Mearns, and Christopher Moss, 1, as Lion, the son of Andrew and Catherine Moss.
• “Popcorn and Trapeze” Highlighting the Liberty and Smathers families are Popcorn Salesman Lawson Liberty, 16 months old, son of Luke and Cory Liberty; Hank Smathers, 21 months, as a popcorn vendor; and Elliot Smathers, 4, as a trapeze artist. Hank and Elliot are the children of John and Sara Smathers.
• “Charlee’s Carnival Candy” sweetened the parade with Charlee Brooks, 4 months, daughter of Bryan and Amanda Brooks.
• “Pick a duck.” featured Gage Billings, 6 months, the son of Chris and Melanie Billings, ready for fun.

Small car department:

• H&M Carnival Shown were twin sisters Hollis Kate Fisher and Magnolia Hayze Fisher, 7 months old, as a monkey and a lion. They are the daughters of Hayze and Kaitlyn Fisher and the grandchildren of Eric and Kerry Fisher and Garland and Brandi Maughan.

Large float department:

• Barnum & Babies took center stage with Dean Dwyer, 2, as mime, the son of Kathleen and Bobby Dwyer; Hank Harris, 2, as a clown and Charlie Harris, 1, as a lion. Hank and Charlie are the children of Luke and Hailey Harris. Evelyn Duff, 4, the daughter of Erin and Joe Duff, portrayed the lion tamer, while Ellie Ann VanDeventer, 2, played Dumbo, the daughter of Adam and Mackenzie VanDeventer. Collins and Cooper Costlow, children of Cole and Augusta Costlow, completed the float as adorable rubber duckies.
• Barnum’s animals highlighted an array of circus creatures with Blakely Melancon, 5, as a tiger and her sibling Bodie Melancon, 1, as a monkey. They are the children of Payson and Marly Melancon. Monroe Cotton, 5, played an elephant and her brother Konnar Cotton, 1, was the strongman. Monroe and Konnar are the children of Dillon and Kaycee Cotton. Rounding out the float was River Legar, 1, as Leo, the son of Joe and Payton Legar.