Members of the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Posse ride in the Friendship Days parade on Saturday, June 27, 2026. The volunteer mounted unit has long been a staple of the annual community celebration. (Photo by Amy Zents)

NICOLLET – A big highlight of Nicollet Friendship Days is the annual parade, which attracted visitors from across the region as the community celebrated with food, activities and events from June 25-28.

This year the parade took place Saturday evening, a later start time than in previous years, when it was often hotter in the afternoon.

The festival and parade were coordinated by the Friendship Days Committee, a group of local volunteers that works with organizations including the Nicollet Lions Club, the American Legion Post 510, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Nicollet FFA, and many other community groups. These partners contribute time, resources, and support to make the event possible each year.

Volunteer organizer Nikki Tish, confirmed the parade featured 65 registered entries, an increase from past years.

She credited the smooth execution of the event to a large team of volunteers who handled numerous responsibilities.

“We had people who staked out the lineup route with numbers, people passing out fliers along the parade route, people directing units to their spot in the lineup and others directing traffic around the parade route, and we can’t forget about the ones who came back through and cleaned it all up again,” Tish stated. “It really was a team effort.”

The parade began at the local school and proceeded through the town. An honor guard led the procession, startling attendees by firing ceremonial blanks to signal the start of the march.

The lineup featured a variety of local and regional entries, including fire trucks from the Nicollet and Gaylord fire departments, floats from the Nicollet County Pork Producers, and an array of classic vehicles and antique tractors, including men on horses, and horse-drawn wagons.

Visiting participants included community royalty from Winthrop and Miss Minnesota 2026 Anna Brennan. Musical entertainment was provided by the Minnesota Over 60 Band and the Schell’s Hobo Band from New Ulm.

As the Nicollet Public Schools float passed by with an offer of free hugs, Blake Ristau, 16, stepped out from the crowd to hug his principal, Robin Courrier. Ristau, a local high school student and hockey player who works as a dishwasher at Rapid Rick’s, said he did so because Courrier has always been nice to him.

David Bode, 83, a lifelong area farmer, watched the procession from the sidewalk. Bode, has been a member of the American Legion for 62 years.

Bode was one of four veterans who founded the Nicollet American Legion’s marching unit in the mid-1960’s.

“Nicollet did not have a marching unit. So there was four of us,” Bode said, adding that he went on to march in regional parades for 50 years

Bode also spoke about his 39 years of service with the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Posse, a volunteer mounted unit. He recalled that a primary duty of the posse during his tenure was rounding up escaped livestock for local farmers.

“Most of the farmers had cattle,” Bode said. “If they got out, we got called and rounded them up.” He recounted one specific incident where the posse spent hours attempting to wrangle a stubborn bull that ultimately had to be shot by its owner the following morning.

The Sheriff’s Posse rode on horseback in this year’s parade, representing a direct link to the rural history Bode described. These days, the Posse still responds to calls for rounding up escaped livestock and provides support for events and terrain that vehicles cannot easily reach.

Following the conclusion of the parade, festival activities shifted to the local park. Families gathered to enjoy food from vendors, while children played in bounce houses and participated in games like a fish pond and a duck pond coordinated by the American Legion Auxiliary.

The evening’s entertainment concluded with a performance by the Schell’s Hobo Band in the park, followed by a street dance featuring the band Revline, another band from New Ulm

Tish said the celebration was a success.

“I heard really great comments about the parade,” Tish said. “I’m not sure if the attendance was up because of the weather or if the new start time allowed more people to attend, but attendance was definitely up.”