Owen seniors take a final ride before graduation

Community organizes 3rd Annual Rally in the Valley

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 10, 2022

Hours before they were to receive their diplomas on the stage in Warhorse Stadium, students representing the Owen High School class of 2022 took one final ride in front of family, friends and supporters.

The 3rd Annual Rally in the Valley, a community-led parade that honors local seniors, returned to the east side of the Ingles parking lot in Swannanoa.

Soon-to-be graduates arrived at First Baptist Church of Swannanoa around 5 p.m., June 10, when they began decorating cars and trucks for the event. Longtime classmates helped each other tie balloons to cars and write parting messages on windshields. Some designs incorporated school colors of the colleges graduates plan to attend, while others contained simple messages, such as “done.”

The line of cars drove along U.S. 70, arriving in a parking lot full of spectators. The route took participants up and down parking rows, passing by the Swannanoa Fire Department ladder truck, which displayed a large American flag. The names of all seniors in each vehicle were announced over a loudspeaker as they exited.

The Rally in the Valley was first held to recognize the class of 2020, which was unable to participate in a live graduation ceremony. The parade, which is organized by community members and sponsored by Ingles, have become a tradition for seniors in the years since.

Photos of the 2022 Rally in the Valley can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.