The organizing committee for the annual Apple Blossom Parade and Festival kicked the ball through the goalposts with this year’s theme, “A Tribute to St. Joe Families: The Heart of Our City.”

The parade rolls at 10 a.m. today, beginning at Noyes Boulevard and Frederick Avenue and proceeding west on Frederick through the downtown area.

The grand marshals for the event will be the family of Martin and LaVell Rucker. Martin serves in the Missouri House of Representatives and on the St. Joseph School District’s Board of Education. LaVell is a social worker for the school district. Their four children — Mike, Martin, Bill and Micah — and grandchildren will ride in the parade, too.

As accomplished as Martin and LaVell are, it will be Mike and the younger Martin who will be the center of much attention. Mike comes home as a true football hero, now retired from the NFL and with a decade of stories to tell. His brother Martin, or “T,” has all of that to look forward to and carries the pride and support of the community with him.

The Apple Blossom Parade kicks off a great season in St. Joseph. In short order, we will see events all over town, including the Northend Community Association’s Mayfest and Parade on May 16, 17 and 18 in Krug Park and the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival on June 20 and 21 at Coleman Hawkins Park.

Of course, late summer and fall will bring even larger events, with Trails West! and the Southside Fall Festival.

If there is a common theme, these events are perhaps more focused on the “family” experience than those we have seen in any other community. Our parades and festivals exhibit many first-rate qualities, but they harbor few pretensions. We hold these events to please ourselves, not necessarily visitors from outside the city and region, and families indeed are at the center of our attention.

On this day, we join in saluting families in our city and region. We applaud the many families who give back to the community through volunteerism and public service. We thank those who lift up and support families through such diverse activities as coaching youth sports, teaching and mentoring.

In short, we celebrate the kinds of families exemplified by the Martin and LaVell Rucker family.