NORTHAMPTON — A whimsical celebration of community, the DoozyDo parade returns this Saturday for the third year running with fun costumes, marching bands, and Gertrude, the gargoyle mascot.

“It’s about bringing people together, and celebrating community,” said Todd Barron, president of Northampton Neighbors, which puts on the parade. “There’s this wonderful connection there. Diverse ages, diverse people, diverse business interests and nonprofits, all coming together as a community, which is what we’re all about.”

Northampton Neighbors is a volunteer organization that provides free programs and services to older adults in Northampton, Florence and Leeds.

Anyone is able to join the parade by registering a DoozyDo team or marching as an individual, and this year over 45 groups will be marching, including businesses, nonprofits and talent groups.

“It’s the most fun experience that I think the community will have because it’s fun, it’s funny, it’s community oriented,” said Sharon Martula, chair of the DoozyDo Parade Committee for Northampton Neighbors. “It’s total fun for all of us who are in it.”

Participants this year include the Western Massachusetts Roller Derby Furies, the Expandable Brass Band, Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, the Northampton High School Band, the mayor and more. Martula is the “Queen Bee” of the parade, and will ride in style through the parade in a Cadillac with her bee costume.

The DoozyDo parade helps collect donations for Northampton Neighbors. Applied Mortgage, a major sponsor of Northampton Neighbors and the parade, has a team marching in the parade, and overall around 50 businesses have sponsored the parade and raised funds.

Northampton Neighbors has around 6,600 members and focuses on providing support and community events for older adults through a wide volunteer network. People in the organization help each other and provide services, including rides, gardening and errands. As well, the group organizes social gatherings, hikes, time to share stories, and more.

The idea for the DoozyDo parade came from a similar parade that happens in Pasadena, Calif. Mark Karpel, a member of the Northampton Neighbors board, brought the idea to the organization, and they thought it could be a great way to support Northampton Neighbors and downtown Northampton. The vision came to life in 2022 with the first parade.

“It is a wonderful celebration of community, and it involves people from all walks of life. Some dress up in fun costumes, others come as they are, businesses come in with their teams to join the parade,” said Barron. “It’s a great family outing for spectators.”

The parade will start at 11 a.m. and go from Hawley Street to Pulaski Park, rain or shine, and is expected to last one to two hours. Northampton Neighbors is still looking for volunteers to help guide the parade, and those interested can check out their website doozydo.org or call 413-341-0160.

“There’s so many diverse talent groups, musical groups. There’s jugglers, bagpipers, you name it, we run the gamut of all of it,” said Martula. “It’s just really fun to watch.”