Beth Litwin
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 25, 2007 09:19 AM

Locals, college students and out-of-towners make the Fiesta Bowl Parade the largest parade in Arizona.

A favorite of college football bowl fans and families alike, tens of thousands are expected to line the streets of Phoenix for the 37th Annual Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Parade-goers can catch the action standing along the route starting south on Central Avenueat Montebello Avenue then turning east on Camelback Road then south at 7th Street to Indian School Road.

Former Arizona Diamondbacks star and current Major-League Baseball commentator Mark Grace will serve as this year's parade grand marshal.

The theme, Celebrating Arizona - 95 Years of Statehood, will be featured throughout the parade's 10 floats, 23 helium balloons, 23 marching bands and 26 honorable and equestrian units. New this year, are life-size Cabbage Patch Kids and Digit from the PBS cartoon, Cyberchase, said Cassie Davis, publicity coordinator for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl & Insight Bowl and all the related events. The parade will also premiere a new opening unit, the Dynamite Express Dance Team, composed of 95 girls ages 4 to 17 years.

Also in the parade: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his honorary unit; a group of NASA astronauts; Spirit the Fiesta Bowl mascot; and of course, the Fiesta Bowl Queen and Court.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and his family will ride on the historic Columbia Bandwagon, a horse-drawn circus wagon built in 1902, and one of the new equestrian units this year.

Local business leaders and nonprofit organizations also participate in the parade. Manny Molina, CEO of Molina Media Group and leader of the Executive Clown Corp, is one of a group of executives who dress up as clowns to raise money for Phoenix Children's Hospital. It's the group's third year with the parade.

"It is very rewarding and touches the heart, and it is fun - all my clowns come back each year," Molina said.

The executives' goal this year is to raise $100,000 for the hospital and bring a few smiles and giggles to the kid's faces.

The Fiesta Bowl Queen and Court will be riding in a golden, horse-drawn carriage float.

Reserved bleacher seating is available for $25and $10 for disabled seating. Tickets may be obtained by calling the Fiesta Bowl Ticket Box Office at 480-350-0911 or at www.fiestabowl.org.

The Oklahoma Sooners and West Virginia Mountaineers will face off in the 37th Annual Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale