In many ways Saturday night's Helldorado Days Parade in Las Vegas could have been any small town. It was hosted by the Las Vegas Elks. An honor guard of firefighters took the lead in dress uniforms with flags. There were high school marching bands, chanting Girl Scouts groups, the Shriners in their little buggies and community groups that I never heard of, such as the Nevada Gay Rodeo Assn.

The Helldorado Days Parade claims to be the oldest tradition in Las Vegas, boasting a 103-year-old legacy. Of course, like most truths about Vegas, there is some fudging around the edges. For example, the parade was discontinued for a while in the '90s, has been moved (the Fremont Street Experience stands on part of one old parade route) and shrunk and, finally, perhaps to attract more people, moved into the evening (avoiding the necessary heat-braving attitude implied in the Helldorado Days name).

And, like everything about Vegas, Helldorado was a tradition originally created to bring tourists to Las Vegas. Helldorado Days was started in 1935 after the completion of the Hoover Dam (and the departure of thousands of workers who built the project) caused the city fathers to feel that the nascent city of Las Vegas was threatening to become a ghost town.

But nowadays Helldorado is the rare Vegas event definitely geared to locals. Fans given out on wooden sticks urged support for local judicial candidates. "I like to see the politicians," Monica Patalong told me as she monitored a group of four children watching the parade. She added: "I like that they moved it to the evening instead of during the day. The history is important, and in Las Vegas it is always good to have something you can bring kids to."

In fact, families and seniors lined much of the parade route, making up the majority of spectators. Carol Layland, 70, told me she has come to more Helldorado Days Parades than she can recall. "This brings back many memories," Layland said while awaiting the start of the parade. "It used to have a much longer parade route. But I still enjoy it every time."

Perhaps the most recognizable presence in the parade this year was Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, bearing a supersized version of his trademark martini. After waving to every person he could find, Goodman explained his take on the Helldorado Days Parade to me:  "This is what Las Vegas is all about, a sense of community. It is absolutely a locals' thing."

(Photo by Sarah Gerke)