By Joe Cadotte & photojournalist Adam Jagunich, FOX 21 News

SOLON SPRINGS, Wis. - Parades mean more than just marching bands and candy. Solon Spring's annual Voyageur Days Parade means putting smiles on the faces of people from around Douglas County; some believe the parade has been going since the town has been on the map. Every year, the people of Solon Springs forget about the regularity of every-day life to dress up like clowns, dance, and race toilet seats.

"It's beautiful." Toilet Seat Racing Champions Hannah and Hayley Brandser say it's the most fun they've had in a while. "We just kind of tried to push our hardest." For the past six years people have been gathering from all over Minnesota and Wisconsin just to toilet bowl race in Solon Springs, the kickoff event for the parade. Solon Springs eighth graders Chase Quam and Daniel Gengenbach say it's all about speed. "It's pretty fun. Yeah, you get a lot of adrenaline as you're running."

More than 600 people gathered for this year's parade with the theme of 'going green.' 'Going Green' Princess Alison Smith enjoys the people more than anything else. "Probably just being able to see all the people, like how many people come and you don't know that, you don't realize that many people can fit in Solon."

Solon Springs depends on tourists to keep it going. Little Gift House owner Perri Smith says the parade brings in a lot of business. "We have a real, good base of local customers, but we really do need the tourists in the summer to keep you going."

Whether you're from Solon Springs or not, Smith says the parade makes everyone feel a part of the community. "I think the whole weekend in itself is a good part of the core of what Solon Springs is a about."

Whether it's racing to get candy in the summer streets or racing toilet seats, the people of Solon Springs still know how to parade. The parade is part of Solon Springs Voyageur Days, an annual weekend of events ranging from an antique car show to a circus.