Entries are now being accepted for the 43rd annual North Dakota State Parade.

The parade starts at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, and follows Burdick Expressway east from Broadway and through the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. Since North Dakota’s inaugural State Parade in 1981, it has only been canceled twice due to the 2011 flood and the COVID epidemic in 2020, making this year’s the 43rd parade.

Online applications will start being accepted at 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 3. Entry forms must be completed online and are available at the parade’s website at ndsparade.com. Information is available at the website. Email committee@ndsparade.com or call 838-0104 and leave a voicemail. Calls will be returned. Or mail the State Parade Committee at P.O. Box 2157, Minot, ND 58702-2157.

Non-commercial entries will be assessed a $1 application fee. There is a $65 fee for commercial entries, with a $50 fee for each additional unit in the entry. There is a $5 fee for all entries wishing to be judged.

Entries are lined up according to the date received. Entry number notifications will be emailed out after June 21. The deadline to guarantee being announced, judged or listed in The Minot Daily News is June 21. Payment will be credit card only.

The N.D. State Parade Committee is made up of volunteers who meet throughout the year and plan for the following year’s parade, pick a theme and select a grand marshal. New volunteers are welcome.

Grand marshal nominees do not need to be N.D. natives but must have strong ties with N.D. Honorees have included media celebrities, sports figures, veterans, politicians and Miss America. Seated politicians are no longer nominated.