RICHMOND, Va. -- A beloved and long-standing tradition continued in the form of a parade for the third year Saturday.
The Armstrong-Walker Classic, a historic rivalry football game between Armstrong High School and Maggie L. Walker High School the Saturday after Thanksgiving, drew tens of thousands of people for decades. But the tradition ended in 1978 when schools were reorganized.
The game is s now celebrated with an entire weekend of events. In fact, from a hall of fame event on Friday, to a parade on Saturday, the 3rd annual Armstrong-Walker Football Classic Legacy Project Parade weekend commemorates the Richmond football classic that once brought together a tight-knit community and brought out a huge crowd.
"Our senior year it was 38,000 that paid," former Maggie L. Walker High School quarterback Pete Barbee said. "56 years ago today we were playing in that game."
The parade full of football players, cheerleaders, bands and former homecoming queens started at Carver Elementary School and ended at the Bon Secours Training Center.
"I was homecoming queen 1962, 1963 and it’s about 13 queens from Armstrong representing," said former Armstrong Homecoming Queen Grace Tolliver. "It brought back a lot of memories because that game meant a lot to the City of Richmond. So for them to bring it back for the last three years has meant so much to us."
This year’s theme was ‘Still I rise — preserving our heritage while sharing our history."
"It was community and that is the whole essence of why we are doing this because it truly brought together particularly the black community," former Maggie L. Walker High School cheerleader Carolyn Hawley said.
Saturday’s parade had hundreds in attendance. Barbee said he almost didn't come but was glad he did as it was "great to just to see everybody" and all of his former classmates.
With smiles from ear to ear, Hawley said the rivalry game that once brought a community closer is still doing 45 years later.
“We had hope, we had tradition, we had things to look forward to," Hawley recalled. “The Thanksgiving weekend meant that to everybody – everything.”
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Part of the legacy project is a community outreach program, Gotta Have Sole. The goal is to collect 300 pairs of new sneakers for Richmond students. Donate at Sunday's event at Hour of Power morning service at 10 a.m. at the Armstrong High School auditorium. Click here for more information or to make a donation.
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