Glorious Land Parade at Austin Aqua Festival

Shot from the corner of 8th street and Congress Avenue, this silent news footage captures Austin Aqua Festival’s Glorious Land Parade from the 1960s. One of the many floats advertises the Big 4 Restaurants. The Big 4 Restaurants were owned by Monroe Lopez, Austin’s first Mexican millionaire. Lopez is credited with bringing many restaurant firsts to Austin, including: air-conditioned restaurants, takeout and delivery services, the all-you-can-eat Tex-Mex dinner, and the crispy taco. In addition to his thriving restaurant businesses, Lopez owned Austin radio station KAZZ, which Billboard Magazine credits as the first station in the United States to regularly program rock and roll music.