Kansas City threw a party 50 years in the making on Wednesday with a parade to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs' victory in Super Bowl LIV.
The procession started at Grand Boulevard and 6th Street and headed south to Pershing Road, where it turned west to end with a rally at Union Station beginning at 1:30 p.m.
KCUR posted images of the celebration throughout the day.
Hours before the parade was set to begin, thousands had already begun to line Grand Boulevard along the route. A crowd gathered in front of Union Station at 7 a.m.
By sunrise, the crowd had already begun to fill the north lawn of the Liberty Memorial.
As they staked out places along the parade route, Chiefs fans had found creative ways to stay warm — including using an old duck blind.
Early in the day, a car sped down the length of the parade route along Grand Boulevard, terrifying some spectators.
"We saw a couple of the sheriffs start running down the street north on Grand. They opened their trunks and they immediately grabbed their spike strips and rolled them out," Michaela Simpson told KCUR. "He had about five or six police cars chasing right after him, so it was pretty intense."
The vehicle was eventually forced to a stop near Crown Center when police cars rammed into it.
Police soon released a statement saying the driver was "under investigation for impairment. A search of the vehicle revealed no weapons, and there were no indications of terrorist activity. Police do not know the suspect's motive at this time."
Once the situation was under control, police had instructions for fans.
Two suspects in custody. Resume celebrating! #chiefsparade
— kcpolice (@kcpolice) February 5, 2020
The Walker family of Kansas City — 12 kids and 6 adults — had staked out their parade-watching spot at 6:30 a.m.
Equally bundled-up were Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, his mother Quincy Bennett, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas:
My #ChiefsParade float crew is ready!!! Congresspeople, me, and mom. pic.twitter.com/setTdl6nDm
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) February 5, 2020
Spectators made it clear how long they had waited and how far they had come to join in the festivities.
You guys think Mahomes is excited? @kcur @Chiefs @laurazig pic.twitter.com/yQTCewxqYJ
— Noah Taborda (@NoahTaborda) February 5, 2020
About 12:30, Kansas City Police reported "a lot of lost kids" and re-upped its list of locations for "child-reunification stations."
We're starting to get a lot of lost kids now, so we're sharing this again. Please tell your child to go to the nearest police officer if they become separated from you. https://t.co/q7EHyYiaDq
— kcpolice (@kcpolice) February 5, 2020
On stage at the rally, Chiefs players — some of them covered in blankets — danced, pointed at the crowd, took cell-phone photos and, yes, drank.
"Hey hey, Kansas City baby! We love ya! How about a hand for these guys right here, huh?" head coach Andy Reid said before leading the crowd in a "How 'bout those Chiefs!" cheer.
"We appreciate everything you did for us," Reid said. "The support's been phenomenal. This parade, it's second to none, it's the best in the NFL right here. You should be proud of yourselves. So listen, one more thing is, next year we're coming right back here. One more time, baby! One more time!"
"Y'all got to stay with me — my voice is already almost gone and y'all know I don't have too much already," Quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes said when it was his turn with the microphone.
"When I became the starter for Kansas City, the first thing I wanted to do was bring the Lamar Hunt Trophy back to Kansas City, back to this organization," Mahomes continued. "And the second most important thing I wanted to do was get the Lombardi Trophy for the greatest coach of all time: Andy Reid, baby!"
Mahomes praised the team for dealing with injuries throughout the season.
"I mean, my knee was in the side of my leg, but we still went back and we won the Super Bowl. We the champs, baby!"
After a brief speech from safety Tyrann Mathieu, tight end Travis Kelce wrapped up the rally with a performance that would soon be trending on Twitter:
This speech by Travis Kelce is everything you thought it would be and more: pic.twitter.com/xYwmnygXuF
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 5, 2020
And then, after several hours and 50 years, the crowd began to disperse.
