From the Budweiser Clydesdales to numerous marching bands to jet planes to Batman, if attendees at the two-hour long Apple Blossom Parade couldn’t find something they didn’t like on Saturday, they weren’t looking.

The parade, originally meant to celebrate the rites of spring, held true to its history, as it was the first this year to have warm weather.

“We thought things went very well,” said Apple Blossom president Ken Rosenauer. “Everything fell into place — the Clydesdales, the air show, the big crowd, the good weather. It was serendipity.”

In all, there were about 100 entries, which made this Apple Blossom Parade one of the biggest ever. “And it seemed like some of the entries kind of broke off into subsets,” Mr. Rosenauer said with a laugh. “Even we were surprised at how the entries kept coming.”

The first-place winner among floats was Corby Grove Apartments, with St. Joseph Cablevision coming in second. Third place went to Johnson Controls.

“The Clydesdales were a big draw,” noted Apple Blossom executive director Michelle Wolfe. “I’ve been involved with this for 11 years, and it was one of the biggest and best parades ever.”

There was live music galore, from marching bands to rock bands on floats to a rolling brass band.

Consisting of veteran Benton High School band members, the Benton Rolling Alumni Band kept the spirit of their high school days alive. Rocking out as best as a mainly brass band on a float could, the ensemble drew cheers from the onlookers along the route.

Watching the younger, bigger marching bands go by after they stopped, Chuck Davis, a musician for the alumni band, said he felt inspired and hoped he could provide motivation for others.

“The young people have so many other things that they could be getting into. We’re always encouraged by that,” he said. “We’re always telling them that we started in third or fourth grade and we’re still going, so don’t be intimidated.”

The band has allowed Mr. Davis to fulfill a personal dream he has had since he was in school.

“All through school I was looking forward to (playing) the Apple Blossom Parade. When I got to high school, they cut it out and about a year after I graduated, they started it back up,” he said.

As the horns, woodwinds and drums bounced and echoed off the buildings in St. Joseph, Robin Tyler and her mother, Louella, said the music, the floats and sunny weather were reminders of why they have attended since they were children.

“The Apple Blossom Parade has been all of my life. I’ve been coming to this since I was a little girl,” Robin said.

And on Saturday, she noticed as her children, Jezze and Svanna, stood in awe of the giant floats and jets flying overhead.

“I want to start a tradition with them so they know that this is something that we do,” she said.

That would be fine with Mr. Rosenauer, who said organizers were already thinking about next year’s parade. “We’re hoping to have more floats and more bands,” he added.

People marvelled at the first appearance of the Budweiser Clydesdales in the parade, with some children wanting to run out and touch them.

“It’s pretty amazing that a city like ours was able to get something so well-known. It’s really cool,” resident David Griffey said. “It makes me so glad that summer is coming.”

Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrewgaug@npgco.com.

And the winners are ...

The overall results for the 2010 Apple Blossom Barbecue Contest were announced at Civic Center Park on Saturday afternoon.

First Place — R Butts R Smokin, of Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Second Place — Big Creek BBQ, of Pleasant Hill, Mo.

Third Place — Theslabs.com, of Kansas City, Mo.

Fourth Place — Pair-O Dachs BBQ & Brews, of Des Moines, Iowa

Fifth Place — Lil’ Smokers, of Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Sixth Place — 4 Legs Up BBQ, of Great Bend, Kan.

Seventh Place — Smoke on Wheels, of Kansas City, Kan.

Eighth Place — S & S BBQ, of St. Joseph

Ninth place — Great Grills O’ Fire, of Jefferson City, Mo.

10th place — Smokey D’s BBQ, of Des Moines, Iowa