UNION COUNTY — In lieu of a traditional parade in Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden, people gathered in small groups across the nation to take part in a virtual “parade across America.” In Oregon, members of the American Sidesaddle Association with deep Union County roots participated.

Julie Murphy, formerly of La Grande, was one of eight riders who donned costumes themed in Oregonian blue and gold, shampooed her steed and rode in honor of the nation on Jan. 20. Her mother, daughter and grandson joined the parade as well.

“With the election and everything, how the country is so divided and so split — some of us are Republican, some of us are Democrat, we ride together, we’re great friends — when we were asked if we wanted to participate, we decided representing Oregon was absolutely awesome,” Murphy said. “It was a great honor to do that. All of us participated just because we love our country. We’re proud of being from Oregon, and it was a thing to do where we could show other people that we can be united, and we hope other people will be as well.”

The group’s efforts even garnered a shoutout from Gov. Kate Brown, who offered congratulations to the group on her Facebook page.

Murphys’s mother, 89-year-old Barbara Baum, a longtime county resident and Union native, hefted the Oregon state flag alongside Old Glory as the group walked and rode in procession to honor the nation on Inauguration Day.

Baum’s ties to Union County are as deep as her ties to horseback riding. Her father, Orville Roberts, rode broncs and a white horse named Stranger he’d trained to do tricks at the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show, and Baum’s mother, Ina Deering, worked at the Union Hotel. After the two married, Roberts worked and trained horses for local ranchers.

Barbara inherited a love of horses from her father and went on to become a princess in the EOLS rodeo court while attending Union High School. Her daughter Julie later attended La Grande High School, and the passion for working with horses has been passed down two generations further since.

Orville and Ina’s great-great-grandson, Aidan, riding since the age of 3 and a member of the American Sidesaddle Association, also took part in the virtual inaugural parade of 2021 — an event his predecessors could likely never have imagined in their wildest dreams.

“We really enjoyed doing it, and it’s not something we’ll soon forget. It was very special and meant a lot to all of us,” Murphy said.

In their pandemic-era participation in the inaugural parade across America, Murphy and her group sent a message of national unity and pride and honored a rich family history and tradition.