2022 Parade

We  are very excited to start planning for the 2022 De Soto Days Parade, Saturday, September 3rd starting at 10:00 am!   Parade lineup will  begin at De Soto High School to be followed by the De Soto Days festival directly after, in Downtown De Soto. 

Prizes awarded to the winners in the following categories:

Most Original Float ~ Most Spirited ~ Most Creative ~

Best Performance ~ Best in Parade ~ Mayor's Choice

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Parade participation provides additional ways to promote your organization or business and provide entertainment to the community to support De Soto.  We are looking forward to having you join us for the 58th annual De Soto Days Festival.   

Loya Beery was born to Lloyd and Maxine Coker also from De Soto. They lived
on 83rd street and pretty much grew up on main street at her parents and
grandparents store. Coker's Store. 

Her favorite memories of "Old Time De Soto" are:

*    Big Screen Movie Night on the hill at 83rd and Wea. Free for the
whole town.

*    The day she ran away from school in 1st grade because someone told
the teacher she said a bad word. She left school to go tell her dad at
Coker's store that it wasn't her because she didn't want a spanking.

*    Enjoyed hanging out on "The Wall" in front of Longstreth's Gas
Station. 

*    Cruising main street which consisted of going up and down Peoria to
Shawnee street.. a whole two blocks. 

She graduated from De Soto High School. Class of 1961 and was class president. She then attended Baker University and the University of Kansas

where she received her degree in Education. 

Loya taught English, Journalism and Spanish at Spring Hill High School and
Turner High School for a combined 35 years! She retired from teaching in
2005. 

She has been active in the community for years. Loya is a member of the
Historical Society, Chamber of Commerce, KNEA, NEA, Economic Development
Committee and was recently inducted into DAR (Daughters of the American
Revolution).

She joined the De Soto Days committee in 2011 alongside her buddy Belva Thrasher. When you saw one you usually saw the other. She is now a retired committee chair but still volunteers to help where she can. The festival is always a highlight for Loya and will always be a forever volunteer. 

Loya enjoys being "out and about" whether that is attending grandkid's
sporting or school events, shopping local, or enjoying breakfast or lunch
with friends. She will always and forever have a soft spot in her heart for
her hometown and everything connected to De Soto.