LANSDALE- With buckets of candy in hand and North Penn gear worn proudly on their backs, members of many North Penn High School teams and organizations took to the streets of Lansdale this Saturday for the borough’s 65th annual Mardi Gras parade.

Throughout the course of the hour and a half long event, North Penn students representing activities from cheerleading to baseball to marching band walked through side streets and down the parade’s Main Street route, waving to members of the community and, much to the delight of the children (and even some of the adults) in attendance, threw candy to onlookers.

“It’s an honor to present ourselves in the community,” said North Penn senior and Marching Knights secretary Promi Islam. The Marching Knights have been participating in Lansdale’s Mardi Gras parade since the early 70s, according to band director Mike Britcher.

“It’s a great opportunity to represent the high school music program in the community and help everyone get in the holiday mood. It’s an awesome thing for us [to do],” said Britcher as he watched his band practice just minutes before they started off on their route.

Also represented in the parade were members of many North Penn athletic teams, ushered by a car driven by Assistant Athletic Director Selma Robinson, with Athletic Director Bill Bartle in the passenger seat and Athletic Secretary Linda Law seated prominently on the back of the car, decked head to toe in North Penn gear and a crown.

Junior Neha Sajja was happy to march in the parade as a member of the tennis team.

“It means a lot to represent my school and North Penn tennis. I made a lot of new bonds with my friends [on the team this year] and we had a good season,” said Sajja, laughing with her teammates before starting off down Main Street.

From the excited cheers of the crowd to the spirited singing of holiday classics, enthusiasm for North Penn and the community was certainly in no short display during Saturday’s parade.