Oxford to Host July 16 Olympic Sendoff Parade

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Oxford will celebrate its two Olympians, who are headed to the Tokyo games, with a parade.

The big sendoff for Sam Kendricks and Shelby McEwen in advance of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad will be Friday, July 16 at 5:30 p.m. 

Oxford Chief of Police Jeff McCutchen told HottyToddy.com that the parade route “will start at North Lamar and Price and go up to the square and go around the county courthouse twice and back down to North Lamar and Price.”

Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill said she invites “all of the Oxford and Lafayette High School Bands to be a part of the sendoff. She also encouraged dance teams, cheer groups and the ROTC to participate.

Kendricks is headed back to his second consecutive Summer Olympics after a 2016 showing in Beijing, when he won a bronze medal.

“We will have our two Olympians in convertibles or Jeeps,” Tannehill said. “We will encourage people to line North Lamar and around the square with flags and make posters.

“The city is going to use the hashtag #jumpoxfordjump,” Tannehill said.

Kendricks and McEwen will start their competition on July 29 and 30, respectively. The qualifying rounds of the men’s high jump begin on July 29 at 7 p.m. CDT with the finals taking place on Aug. 1 at 5 a.m. CDT. The men’s pole vault qualifying rounds begin on July 30 at 7 p.m. CDT, and the finals will be on Aug. 3 at 5 a.m. CDT.