Wheat growers excluded from Spokane parade

SPOKANE, Wash. — Wheat may be king in the Palouse region, but don't look for its float at Spokane's annual Lilac Festival Parade.

Organizers of the parade told the Washington Association of Wheat Growers that their policies prohibit lobbying groups. That means the growers won't be able to drive a massive red tractor pulling a group of wheat farming families.

Parade organizers told The Spokesman Review that allowing lobbying groups would turn the parade into a political event. But wheat farmers say they are disappointed by the decision.