Cheese! Look at what’s rolling through Concord

Concord loves its cheese, and people flocked to its downtown Thursday to see a 400-pound cheese wheel arrive at a local shop.

The ninth annual Crucolo Cheese Parade drew more than 1,000 people just to see the big cheese get wheeled in.

A horse-drawn cart brought the wheel — purported to be the largest in North America — to The Cheese Shop. There was a brass band, there were dancers, there was Miss Crucolo USA and her court, there were uniformed militiamen: Concord was captivated by it all.

“There's nothing like a cheese parade,” said Peter Lovis, who owns The Cheese Shop. “Wait till you see everyone smile; everyone is happy."

Said Lovis in 2016: “It’s fun and silly, and it celebrates the beginning of the retail season. It brings people to town.”

A look at some photos from the event.

Lovis and cheese maker Devis Enderle of Refugio Di Crucolo rolled the wheel onto the stage.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Re-enactor Khalid Antar of His Majesty's Tenth Regiment of Foot kept watch as Lovis and Ng celebrated the cheese wheel’s arrival.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Spectators were offered samples of the crucolo cheese.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Re-enactor Lenny Torto of His Majesty's Tenth Regiment of Foot offered cheese samples to the crowd.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Craig F. Walker of the Globe staff contributed to this report.