The city of Bend has confirmed at least six athletes who competed in previous Olympic and Special Olympics games will join 2012 Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton in a parade through downtown Bend at 1 p.m. Sunday.

A celebration of Olympic athletes on this scale will be a unique event for the city, said Bend volunteer coordinator Cheryl Howard.

“It will be the first time we’ve seen anything like it,” Howard said. “I think it’s going to come off looking really elegant.”

Organizers invited all of the past Olympians they could identify who live in the area, City Recorder Robyn Christie wrote in an email Tuesday. The Police Department also contacted a local Special Olympics group to invite past competitors to participate in the parade, Christie wrote.

The parade is a celebration of the accomplishments of Mountain View High School graduate Ashton Eaton, who won a gold medal in the decathlon at the summer Olympic games in London.

The lineup of parade participants has grown since organizers began planning it in late August, with several marching bands, including the Mountain View High School Marching Band, the Summit Express Jazz Band, the Cascade Horizon Band and the Bend Fire Department Pipes and Drums Band, as well as dancers and cheerleaders now scheduled to perform.

Nonetheless, Steve Esselstyn, community liaison for the Bend Police Department, said he expects the event to go smoothly.

“There will be a police presence, but there always is with parades just to keep the public and the motorists safe,” Esselstyn said, adding that the parade plan is focused and well-choreographed.

“It looks good,” Esselstyn said.

If you go

When: 1 p.m. Sunday

Where: Downtown Bend

Police will begin closing the streets as early as 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Signs along the route will inform drivers they must move their vehicles from sections of Bond, Wall and Oregon on the parade route by noon Sunday.

Street closures:

Bond from Kansas to Oregon.

Wall Street from Greenwood to Franklin.

Oregon between Wall and Bond

Franklin from Lava to Wall Street.

Note: You can get into the south Mirror Pond parking lot via Broadway.

Source: Steve Esselstyn, community liaison, Bend Police Department