Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Marching Cobras Featured At Pageant

The Marching Cobras and Willie Arthur Smith will be in Gurdon on May 11, 1996 to participate in the 11th Annual Save the Children Day Celebration Program. The Cobras will participate in the parade, which will be held at 2:00 P.M. on main street in downtown Gurdon, and will also provide special entertainment at the 4th Annual Miss Gurdon Lake Pageant at 7:00 p.m. in the Gurdon Middle School Auditorium.

The Marching Cobras provides 155 disadvantaged children the opportunity to perform with an internationally acclaimed dance and drill team founded and directed by Willie Arthur Smith, formerly of Prescott and a former teacher with the Arkadelphia Public Schools.

The Cobras were one of two groups representing the United States among 13 countries present in February, at the Nice Carnival, held in Nice France, right on the Mediterranean Sea. The Carnival consisted of parades and performances. The Cobras performed three times daily. 55 children, ages 10-18 represented a number of Kansas City Schools.

This high stepping marching unit returned to Kansas City with the Most Outstanding Group Award, two trophies, and the Most High Sprited Award.

While in France, they traveled to Monaco and visited various countrysides in Nice.

The Cobras were special guests at the National Festival Parade in Phoenix, Arizona winning two trophies.

But the Cobras are much more than entertainment. Look inside a Cobra, beyond the costume and fancy drill steps, and you'll find a vaery special child. One who wants a chance to make something of his or her life. You'll find a child working hard, digging deep, to be the best that she or he can be.

The Cobras are sponsored by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, Missouri.