Pro-Confederacy group marches in July 4 parade, with a unity float right behind it

A few years ago, Bayfield residents were met with a surprise addition to their annual Fourth of July parade: a float organized by a pro-Confederacy group.

As the holiday approached this year in the small southwest Colorado town just outside Durango, one local mother said she wasn’t going to take her children to the parade. She didn’t want them to see a float sporting Confederate flags — a relic of America’s past that many consider to be a symbol of hatred, bigotry and racism.

In response, a group of town residents decided they needed to counter that with their own message.

Bayfield resident Sarah Goldman, along with 30 adults and children, organized a unity float that followed directly behind the Confederate group at last week’s parade, with participants holding signs and banners expressing inclusivity as they celebrated Independence Day.

“We don’t want that to become the voice of our community,” Goldman said. “This is where we live, where we raise our children. We want our children to see our message and what we really stand for.”

The controversy was first reported by The Durango Herald. With the mother’s worries in mind, Goldman canvassed other residents on Facebook to get their thoughts on a new float. She was met with strong support, including a note from town leaders.

Everyone got into the idea — including Goldman’s own children. “Spiderman loves Bayfield,” her son Declan, 10, wrote on one sign. Max, 5, drew a family of stick figures below a “Bayfield Rocks for Everyone!” banner.

People associated with the Confederate float, organized by a group called Rocky Mountain Confederate Conservation, and those with the unity float had no conversations during the parade, Goldman said. There were no confrontations, no trading barbs.

“No one in our group had interest in heckling them,” she said. “We didn’t want it to be a negative thing.”

The Confederate float featured flags with the “southern cross,” along with other banners such as “Keep America Beautiful — Save History” and calls to protect Confederate monuments. States across the country, and especially in the South, have grappled in recent years over whether to tear down these longstanding symbols.

Paula Dugger, a member of the Confederate group, said the organization stands for the preservation of Southern history, heritage and culture. The group, which includes members from across the state, mainly deals with Confederate grave restoration.

“We stand firmly against racism and strive in all efforts to uphold the good name of the Confederacy,” Dugger wrote an in email.

She said the group has received a warm reception in past parades.

Chris La May, Bayfield’s town manager, said the town does not endorse the Confederate group, but barring its participation in the parade is challenging based on First Amendment protections. Still, La May said, the town board will review its options for next year’s parade.

“We don’t want to have this stain on our parade,” La May said.

Dugger said the group plans to participate in the festivities again next year.

First Amendment experts say the fact that the parade is run by the town, a governmental entity, makes it trickier to police.

“It’s unclear to me what grounds the parade organizers of the town would have to reject the Confederate float,” said Steven Zansberg, a Denver attorney who specializes in First Amendment cases.

The Independence Day unity float has inspired Goldman to help organize discussions about race in Bayfield.

Meanwhile, the float will be even bigger and better next year, Goldman said.

“We need to change this conversation a little,” she said.