Idaho vehicle parades used to pay tribute to health care workers, help students, teachers
Across the Treasure Valley, groups are showcasing their support for health care workers through the use of vehicle parades.
The series of events kicked off Thursday evening with a “Hear the Love” motorcycle rally. Motorcycles gathered in the parking lot of the Nampa St. Luke’s and all revved their engines at exactly 8 p.m. to pay tribute to the hospital’s doctors, nurses and other practitioners.
On Friday, a second parade is set to take place at Nampa St. Luke’s, this time hosted by local law enforcement. At noon, Idaho State Police, Nampa Fire Department, Caldwell Police Department, Canyon County EMS and other vehicles will file into the parking lot. As each group parks, they will silence their sirens, leave the lights on, and step out of their cars to stand at attention — while practicing social distancing.
After the procession, the Caldwell Police Bagpipe Band will play two songs.
Attention will turn to the Meridian St. Luke’s on Saturday, where the Bootleggers Idaho Street Outlaws car club will have a “stay in your car” cruise to show support for health care workers, according to Tom Davis, the founder of the club. The event will start at noon and will feature a cruise through parking lots. Davis has asked all hot-rod clubs to participate.
Schoolteacher parades
Parades have also been used by the Nampa School District to reconnect students and teachers through something other than an online chat.
Last week, teachers and staff of West Middle School and Endeavor Elementary participated in an in-car parade through the school’s neighborhoods. The goal was to drive by student’s homes and connect with them and parents from a safe distance — road to driveway or driveway to sidewalk, for instance.
“We decided that it was something we needed to do because our kids needed to know that we were still there for them,” said Chance Whitmore, principle at West Middle.
Whitmore said that showing an appreciation for the families and feeling the appreciation in return was a big lift for the teachers and staff.
“Knowing that we miss our parents and our kids was something that seemed to resonate with our families as we drove by. I mean, a lot of smiles, a lot of waving,” Whitmore said.
On Friday, teachers and staff of Sherman Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary will hop in their cars and follow a route through those schools’ attendance zones.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
