Constitution Day Parade and Celebration

Celebrate the 45th annual Constitution Day Parade, the oldest and largest in western America! It’s a big weekend in Nevada City, and all the fun events are free, unless otherwise noted. Saturday, September 10, starts off with a pancake breakfast at Seaman’s Lodge at Pioneer Park. The breakfast is only $6 per person and goes from 7:00-10:30 a.m. The first Civil War reenactment starts at 1:00 p.m. at Pioneer Park. We recommend bringing chairs or a blanket to sit on, and if you have young children or are sensitive to noise, you might want to bring earplugs as well. At 2:30 p.m., a Military Uniform Fashion Show will be taking place at the Pioneer Park Bandshell. The second reenactment of the weekend starts at 4:00 p.m., also at Pioneer Park. From 5:30-6:30 p.m., you can catch the Nevada County Concert Band on North Pine Street.

On Sunday from 7:00-10:30 a.m., the pancake breakfast returns to Seaman’s Lodge, still only $6 per person. At 11:00 a.m., the last reenactment takes place at Pioneer Park. This is the only Sunday showing, but is before the parade so you don’t miss out on anything. Watch the historic reenactment of the signing of the United States Constitution at Broad and Pine Streets at 1:30 p.m. At 2:00 is the Constitution Day Parade which starts at the top of Broad (right in front of the inn!) and makes its way down to the bottom of Broad.

If you can’t find parking in town, there is free parking at the Nevada County Government Center at Hwy 49 and Maidu Ave. Take the shuttle into town and Pioneer Park for $3 (all day pass). If you dress up in historical costume, the shuttle service is free! You can also choose to walk, it’s about 0.5 miles to downtown, and about 1.0 mile to Pioneer Park.

Enjoy your weekend!

Update: Here are some photos from the weekend, but you can see more on our Flickr site!