(EDITOR’S NOTE: More Grand Parade reports to be published Saturday night-Sunday morning)

(Thanks to Frank for that photo of part of the Luna Park Café entry, #1 in Commercial)
The list is just in from West Seattle Grand Parade coordinators and judges:

Overall Grand Prize Winners

1st​ – Marysville Strawberry Festival Float

2nd ​- Seattle Schools All-City Marching Band

3rd​ – Calgary Round-Up Band
 
CLOWNS

(From the Seafair Clowns, West Seattle’s own “Officer Lumpy”)
1st​ – Seattle Seafair Clowns
2nd ​- Lake City Western Vigilantes
3rd​ – Keystone Kops
 
PERFORMING ACTS

1st ​- Seafair Pirates

(Photo by Rachel Chaimson)
2nd​ – Joyas Mestizas – Mexican Folk Dance
3rd​ – Pathfinder K-8 School Unicycle Team
 
COMMERCIAL
1st​ – Luna Park Café (see top photo)
2nd​ – Hotwire Coffee
3rd​ – Seattle Public Utilities
 
CARS
1st​ – Last Resort Fire Department
2nd​ – Hope Lutheran School
3rd​ – 1942 LaFrance Fire Truck
 
DRILL TEAMS – JUNIOR
1st ​- Electronette Butterflies

2nd ​- The Princesses of Elegance
3rd​ – Anointed to Praise Drill Team
 
DRILL TEAMS – SENIOR
1st​ – Electronette High Steppers & Drum Corp

2nd​ – Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team
3rd​ – The Ladies of Elegance Drill Team (see them with Princesses of Elegance in clip above)
 
COMMUNITY

1st​ – Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish & School

2nd​ – Cub Scout Pack 793
3rd​ – WestSide Baby – Stuff the Bus (see video here)
 
FLOATS
1st​ – Marysville Strawberry Festival (see video earlier in this story)
 
BANDS

1st​ – Seattle Police Pipe and Drum Corp

2nd ​- Kennedy Catholic High School Marching Band

We’ll continue adding photos and video to this over the course of the weekend, since we have video and/or photos of everyone in the parade! Meantime, our other Grand Parade coverage – from today and from previous years – is archived here.

(Find all our parade coverage in this archive – newest to oldest)

12:49 PM: After almost two hours, the West Seattle Grand Parade is over in the Admiral District, where it begins, and the north part of California SW has reopened to traffic as of a few minutes ago. Final entry is Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), with a live band, The Afterthoughts, on board a flatbed tow truck. Lots of great moments before that, too, and we’ll be rolling out highlights for hours to come. (P.S. Hotwire is alongside the courtyard where we hope to see you tonight for the first West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation of the season!)

1:30 PM: Our crew on the south end of the route reports that the parade has concluded there too.

Meantime, in advance of later reports focusing on parade angles such as the trophy winners, we’re expanding this one to include not only the end of the parade but a few sights from the start!

Above, the West Seattle Hi-Yu float in action (you can also see it in tomorrow afternoon’s White Center Jubilee Days parade and the Seafair Torchlight Parade a week from tonight). Below, a quick maneuver by the Vancouver, B.C., Police Motorcycle Drill Team – in the only Seattle-area parade in which they participate!

10:16 AM: In its second year, the West Seattle Float Dodger 5K is an unquestionable hit – West Seattle Runner (Float Dodger and WSB sponsor) told us that as of earlier this week, registration already had eclipsed the first year’s total turnout, and having just watched the entire crowd pass here at California/Lander, we can verify a bigger crowd.

Our video (top of this story) includes some of the runners around the middle of the pack; we had a crew at the starting line too, and will add much more later – but for now, we’re getting close to West Seattle Grand Parade time!

ADDED 1:49 PM: The results are now available online. Brett Winegar, #720, finished in 16:11, followed by Jeffrey Bigham, #698, in 16:35. First female finisher was Caitlin Latimer, #690, in 19:19; second was Katherine Urbanski, #668, in 20:30. The official results show almost 300 runners!

We’ll be checking with organizers for other winners – best costume, etc.

ADDED 7:51 PM: A very special aspect of today’s Float Dodger 5K was the dedication. As explained on the official website:

This year’s race is dedicated to Andrea Boag, a dear friend of Tim and Lori, owners of West Seattle Runner. On June 10th, she passed away, ending a long battle with cancer. Andrea lives forever in our hearts and this race is in honor of her.

Below, with a poster honoring Andrea, are from left, West Seattle Runner co-proprietor Lori McConnell, Andrea’s sister Sara, her nephew Ethan, and her mom Kristin:

The race’s emcee – leading a moment of silence and the countdown – was KIRO TV’s Michelle Millman, herself a cancer survivor:

Here’s that countdown, and the start of the race:

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a major beneficiary of the Float Dodger 5K, and Tim and Lori also invite donations in honor of Andrea – go here.

8:48 AM: The hundreds of people who’ll be part of the 70-plus entries in today’s West Seattle Grand Parade are getting ready – including West Seattle Hi-Yu volunteers accompanying this year’s float, themed “Alki Deep,” photographed a few minutes ago in the staging area. More parade-prep coverage to come; the parade starts at 11 am, heading south on California from Lander to Edmunds (see the route here; see traffic/bus changes here).
9:22 AM: At the Float Dodger 5K starting line (9:45 am, California/Charlestown), signs of the times:

Note that we’ll be sharing photos via Instagram before, during, and after – see our feed here. Another one – back at the parade’s starting line, co-coordinator Jim Edwards:

A bit of drizzle amid the fog a few minutes ago – but that seems to have stopped (no, wait, there it is again). Think sun – but bring a jacket to start off with!

ADDED 5:35 PM: A few more pre-parade scenes – featuring the Seafair Pirates, who once again came to Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) for breakfast:

This year’s Captain Kidd – West Seattleite Rusty Harper – shared a table with Hi-Yu royalty:

But before the parade – Moby Duck needed a fill-up, and they went over to Admiral (formerly Barnecut’s) Shell:

Our parade coverage, from today and earlier, is all archived here.

Less than 12 hours to go until the West Seattle Grand Parade, presented by American Legion Post 160, and the Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s Kiddie Parade. (Both follow the Float Dodger 5K, starting at 9:45 am at California/Charlestown, which we previewed last night.) Here are a few more preview notes:

JUNIOR ALL-CITY BAND IN KIDDIE PARADE: Don’t miss the Junior All-City Band in the Kiddie Parade! First we got this reminder from Jeff Clark, principal of Denny International Middle School, which has many ties to Junior ACB:

One of the beautiful things about our school and campus is the creation of cross-age learning opportunities — when kids of different ages have shared experiences, benefitting from cross-age mentoring. Mr. Pimpleton, Band Director for Denny International Middle School, Chief Sealth International High School, and the Seattle Public Schools All-City Band, continues to provide fantastic musical learning opportunities through-out the summer. The Junior All-City Band consists of students from all of our feeder elementary schools and current Denny students performing together — with mentoring from high school and college-age musicians. Thank you to Mr. Pimpleton and all of the volunteers who make Jr. All-City Band possible. I look forward to celebrating their success at upcoming parades! Go current and future Dolphins!

Then, from Marcus Pimpleton himself:

I would really like to highlight the work that John Aguilar has been doing. John is an alumnus of both Denny and Sealth and has participated as a volunteer in all of our Spring and Summer camps. This year he has more or less been running the Junior All-City program and deserves the lion share of the credit for what the students have accomplished this week. He has been assisted by a great group of high school students from a number of different high schools. It has been great kind of taking a back seat and watching these kids work and show what they have learned after all of these years of participating in these programs.

That’s John Aguilar in the photo above. Cheer him and the young musicians on, during the parade!

TEAM TRACY IN GRAND PARADE: Every year they walk for three days to fight breast cancer; in the West Seattle Grand Parade, West Seattleite Tracy Dart and her team will be on their feet for a few hours to encourage you to join the fight.

STUFF THE BUS: WestSide Baby‘s big contingent will be back to remind you that Sunday is the annual mega-diaper drive – although they’ll be doing some advance collecting Saturday afternoon, too, at West Seattle, White Center, and Burien supermarkets – watch our Saturday morning preview for details on that.

HOTWIRE ON THE ROUTE AND IN THE PARADE: Lora Swift from Hotline Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) says, “We are in the parade too – using a GT towing truck for an ‘all American rock n’ roll band’ – The After Thoughts. They will be on the parade route playing on the flatbed of the truck then will loop around and play in the courtyard for a set. We’ll be handing out coupons at Hotwire plus free (while supplies last) organic juice pops for the kids.”

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD HONOR GUARD: Parade coordinators told us they’re especially glad to have this honor guard back to lead the parade, since with the “sequester” removing so many military groups from community appearances (think Blue Angels and Navy Seafair Fleet), they weren’t sure whether it would affect this too.

DELRIDGE GROCERY: Organizers and volunteers from the store that’s gearing up to open next year in the under-construction DESC building will be walking in the parade.

POLITICIANS: At least two candidates for mayor will be in the parade, as of this past Monday, when we sat in on part of the parade lineup meeting. In all, as of that meeting, there were five political entries.

And many more (including faves like the cannon-firing Seafair Pirates). Review our previous preview coverage, and previous years, by scrolling through this WSB archive. Better yet, just line the parade route at 11 am and cheer for your neighbors and friends.

(Sustainable West Seattle in 2012 Grand Parade; both WSB photos in this story are by Nick Adams)
We’re counting down to West Seattle Grand Parade day on Saturday, and there are two chances for kids to participate if they’re not already part of an entry.

NEW – KIDICAL MASS: Just announced:

Kids on bikes are invited to ride in the West Seattle Grand Parade July 20th as part of the Kidical Mass this Saturday. Riders of all ages are welcome and kids and families are encouraged to join in the fun.

Kidical Mass is a grass-roots movement to get more kids and families excited about bike riding. Escort your child on their decorated bike as you join Sustainable West Seattle, West Seattle Spokespeople and West Seattle Bike Connections in the parade for this family-friendly ride.

Meet at Alki Bike and Board, 2606 California Ave. SW, to ride in the parade. For more details, contact alkistu@hotmail.com.

The parade starts at 11 am, south on California from Lander, and stages along side streets in advance – so we’d advise meeting at AB&B with plenty of time to spare. Meantime – one more reminder about the other opportunity for kids to participate:

WEST SEATTLE ROTARY KIDDIE PARADE: On foot or on wheels, kids are invited to parade down part of the route, from SW Genesee to SW Edmunds, right before the big parade, with the Rotary Club of West Seattle. Details (and contact info if you have questions) here.

What a sight at Seacrest tonight – Toni shares photos of the All-City Band‘s practice/photo session, with what amounted to a front-row seat. You’ll get to see and hear the All-City Band marching down California SW during Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade. The band features musicians from schools around the city, directed by West Seattle’s own Marcus Pimpleton, music leader at Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School. This summer, as noted here previously, ACB has been practicing right across the street from those two schools, at Southwest Athletic Complex. But tonight, they were at Seacrest:

Their first metro-area parades were last weekend, according to the Friends of ACB Facebook page. And along with upcoming parades, you can also catch the All-City Band and other groups Friday, July 26th, performing at 7 pm at SWAC – free! – in the “Band Jam“ tune-up for the next night’s Seafair Torchlight Parade.

Now back to the West Seattle Grand Parade: It starts at 11 am Saturday, proceeding southbound on California from Lander (north end of Hiawatha) to Edmunds in The Junction; remember that the route, and some side streets used for staging, will be a no-parking zone starting earlier that morning (we noticed the signs are now out), even before the street closure kicks in. The ACB isn’t the only marching band you’ll see – the John F. Kennedy Catholic High School Band from nearby Burien is in the lineup too.

We’re counting down all week to Saturday’s West Seattle American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade (preceded again this year by two events in which you’re welcome to participate BEFORE watching the big parade – the Float Dodger 5K [registration info here] and the Rotary Club of West Seattle Kiddie Parade [participation info here]).

Tonight, parade coordinators – all volunteers – met at Post 160 to rough out the parade lineup. We observed for a while to pick up some tidbits about this year’s parade. For starters: Three far-flung participating groups are among the 70-plus entries. From 700 miles away, the Calgary Roundup Band, which won “Best Marching Band” in this parade two years ago, is returning.

(2011 Sequim float in Grand Parade, framegrab from WSB video)
From 70 miles away, the Sequim Irrigation Festival float will roll down California SW during the Grand Parade for the first time in a few years.

And once again this year, from 140 miles away, the Vancouver (B.C.) Police Motorcycle Drill Team will roar along the parade route, right after SPD’s own drill team.

The parade starts at 11 am Saturday; here’s the route. More previews as the countdown continues all week! And a reminder that tomorrow (Tuesday) night, one of this year’s community honorees, Orville Rummel Community Service Award winner Judy Pickens, will be formally feted during the West Seattle Hi-Yu Concert in the Park, a free event featuring the West Seattle Big Band, 7 pm Tuesday on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center/Park.

(WSB photo from 2011 West Seattle Grand Parade)
So apparently this will be a summer without a Seattle 4th of July fireworks show.

A summer possibly without Blue Angels.

But we’ll have the West Seattle Grand Parade – right?

Right?

Well, provided there’s a little help footing the bills, yes. The parade is planned for 11 am Saturday, July 20th, and co-coordinator Dave Vague says:

We are still in our planning stages and have secured a couple of our sponsors from last year, but we are still a little short and are once again asking for the support of the West Seattle Community, who has been so generous in the past and helped us to continue this cherished community event.

Donations can be made at the West Seattle Grand Parade website:

thewestseattleparade.com/Donate.html

If you’re new in town or have missed our coverage of this in recent years, the costs of putting on the parade have continued to go up, and just the barricades/no-parking signs alone cost thousands of dollars. WSB will be donating again this year and we hope that if you can, you will too.

(Our 1st parade report is here; our pre-parade coverage is here)

(WSB video of the All-City Band, top Overall Trophy Winner today)
Just announced by West Seattle Grand Parade coordinators – today’s winners!

Clowns & Comics

1.       Seattle Seafair Clowns
2.       Keystone Kops

Performing Acts

1.       Pathfinder K-8 School (Unicycle Team)
2.       Lake City Vigilantes
3.       Seattle Seafair Pirates

Marching Bands

(Photo by Dan Holz)
1.       Kennedy Catholic High School Marching Band

(This photo and next one by Nick Adams for WSB)
2.       Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder
3.       Pacific Northwest Drumline (Tie)

3.    Seattle Police Pipe & Drum Band

Drill Teams – Senior

1.       Electronetts High Steppers Drill Team & Drumline
2.       The Dolls Drill Team
3.       Super Steppers Marching Team

Drill Teams – Junior

1.       Electronetts Butterflies Drill Team
2.       Washington Diamonds Drill Team
3.       Daughters of Royalty Drill Team

Cars & Antique Cars

(Photo courtesy Lance Rasmussen)
1.       Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club
2.       Last Resort Fire Department
3.       Seattle Lutheran Schools

Commercial

1.       Your Seattle City Light and the Northwest Tap Connection Dance Team
2.       Luna Park Café
3.       Seattle Public Utilities

Community

(WSB video of part of the OLG parade entry)
1.       Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish & School
2.       Little Gym of West Seattle

(Photo by Nick Adams for WSB)
3.       WestSide Baby

Floats

1.       Marysville Strawberry Festival

Overall Trophy Winners

1.       Seattle Schools All-City Marching Band (see video atop this story)
2.       Chinese Community Girls Drill Team
3.       Sumner High School Marching Band

(WSB pre-parade coverage is here; our report on the winners is here)

It’s 12:33 pm as we publish this – almost 2 hours after the West Seattle Grand Parade began with the Seattle Police Motorcycle Drill Team, almost 3 hours after the Float Dodger 5K preceded the parade down the course – and even here at the starting line, California/Lander, the parade isn’t over yet. About 10 minutes ago, the Seafair Pirates took their turn heading down the route, and we caught their first cannon blast on video (above). The very start of the route is a great place to watch – especially if you like to see a bit of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering; for parade participants (we’ve been in it three times), getting the signal to move onto the route is a thrilling moment – here’s Lora Swift from Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), atop her Mini looking out of, of course, a coffee cup:

Just before we walked up to photograph the Hotwire entry, Lora e-mailed us this photo from HER viewpoint atop the cupmobile:

Sustainable West Seattle has, of course, a human-powered entry again this year:

And while the Seattle Police Pipes and Drums were marching for their first appearance in this parade, the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flew over (as of the Monday night parade-lineup meeting, it had been requested, but it’s never a sure thing; an emergency might call for it) – it’s at the end of this short clip:

And of course there was royalty! One of the Seafair princesses was Kelsey Bills, representing West Seattle Hi-Yu in this year’s Seafair Scholarship Program for Women –

Will she become queen? We’ll find out just before next Saturday night’s Torchlight Parade. Meantime, Hi-Yu’s appearance today will be in one of our upcoming reports.

ADDED 12:56 PM: Traffic note – the parade is over now at the NORTH end of the route, through the Admiral District, and from Admiral Safeway, we are seeing traffic moving again along California in this area. The parade still has some time to go in The Junction, though, so it won’t be fully reopened for a while.

ADDED 1:07 PM: The parade has now finished passing California/Charlestown, our crew at that intersection reports.

ADDED 1:56 PM: One more clip for this story – Nancy Woodland from WestSide Baby entering the parade route as Grand Marshal, followed by the WS Baby bus and volunteers (even chanting!), and then after a bit of a pause, Shirley Vradenburgh riding with the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Community Service:

In forthcoming reports, we’ll have much more parade coverage; we had four photojournalists covering today’s parade (including a team covering the mid-course farewell ceremony for SPD drill-team Drillmaster Officer John Bernasconi).

(Scroll down for latest pre-parade updates till it all gets going around 10:30)

We’re starting West Seattle Grand Parade morning at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor), where the Seafair Pirates have just swept in for a “raid” (so says a sign on the front door) – and are serenading residents, staff, and West Seattle Hi-Yu royalty, with pirate songs (ending “We never put out to sea”) at the start of a big day. Here’s the Pirates’ leader, Captain Kidd (aka Lance English), with members of last year’s royalty:

One pirate appeared to be attempting to “borrow” this year’s Junior Court Queen Thea‘s pendant for their treasure chest … hmm:

In a couple hours, the Pirates will “sail” Moby Duck down California SW, cannon blasts, sword-sweeping and all. The road is closed from Admiral Way south, remember; the Float Dodger 5K starts from California/Charlestown at 9:45, while parade preps continue further north, with the route going southbound from SW Lander all the way to SW Edmunds.

9:19 AM UPDATE: California outside Admiral Safeway/Lafayette is starting to fill up with parade participants. Here’s the WestSide Baby bus, not only promoting tomorrow’s diaper drive but following WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland, Grand Marshal for today’s parade:

Thirsty? Next to Admiral Safeway, Umpqua Bank (WSB sponsor) manager Kirk Mead and team are ready to offer bottled water:

Across the street, some logistics – parade co-coordinator Dave Vague (right) checked in with Josh Sutton, who’ll be driving the West Seattle Y (WSB sponsor) bus, about the banner that will be displayed to show the Y is a major sponsor of the parade:

The Seattle Police Pipes and Drums members, making their first West Seattle Grand Parade appearance, are gathering:

You’ll see them BETWEEN the two motorcycle squads (Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.). Meantime, we can guarantee this will be the biggest bus in the parade:

And yes, “RapidRide Man,” costume and all, will be on hand, the bus’s minders told us. Meantime, it’s getting closer to Float Dodger 5K start time down at California/Charlestown – we’ve got crews there too and expect to hear from them shortly. We’re going out to check on more arrivals, including, we expect, some parade-watchers in the Hiawatha vicinity.

9:44 AM: More than 250 runners/walkers are about to start the Float Dodger 5K – here’s a photo from our crew – it heads NORTH on California before turning around to head south to finish at California/Edmunds:

10:04 AM: The runners/walkers have all completed the first section of the course – they ran north to California/Lander and “dodged” the Hi-Yu float, which was parked in the intersection to play the role.

They’re now all headed south to the end of the parade route at California/Edmunds. (300 participants, we’re told!) Separate story with 5K video and more, later! P.S. (as of 10:08 am) – the Seattle and Vancouver B.C. motorcycle units have JUST arrived, and if you’ve been following our coverage, you know they have a special event ahead at California/Charlestown, as longtime Drillmaster for SPD, Officer John Bernasconi, a West Seattleite, relinquishes his command (he’s retiring this year) – added, we walked up just as he was arriving around 10:10:

As of 10:19 am, the motorcycles appear to be getting ready to leave – if you’re at California/Charlestown, get ready! Not sure when our next update will be – watch us on Twitter.

Check our parade preview from last night for more advance info; more pre-parade coverage to come.

It takes a village to build a float! The volunteers we found outside Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) tonight are no doubt just one of many groups/businesses/organizations putting finishing touches on their floats, cars, signs, etc., for Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade. So it’s time for one final preview of what you’ll see tomorrow among the nearly 100 entries. Here’s what we have already reported (with links to our stories):

*Grand Marshal: Nancy Woodland of WestSide Baby – she’ll be in a car, followed by the famous “Stuff the Bus” school bus promoting Sunday’s big diaper drive
*Orville Rummel Trophy: Shirley Vradenburgh, recently retired from Seattle Lutheran High School
*Seattle Police Pipes and Drums’ debut, marching between motorcycle groups, with visiting Boston Police counterparts
*Last ride/ceremony for SPD Motorcycle Drill Team leader Officer John Bernasconi, a West Seattle native (you’re welcome to watch – 10:30 am or so at California/Charlestown)
*First-ever Float Dodger 5K precedes the parade (still time to register beforehand – run/walk starts at California/Charlestown at 9:45 am)

And now, from information gleaned while we sat in on the parade-lineup meeting this week (with Jim Edwards, Dave Vague, Doreen Vague, and Michelle Edwards working to put it all together), some of what else you’ll see along the parade route (California/Lander to California/Edmunds):

*More marching bands than ever – half a dozen as of the parade-lineup meeting – including the Seahawks’ thunderous Blue Thunder. (Michelle Edwards is a member but won’t be playing with them because she’s part of the coordinating team for the parade – without which, there would be chaos!) And of course, the famous, West Seattleite Marcus Pimpleton-directed All-City Marching Band. (Marching bands obviously have to be separated, making for a fun juggling challenge at the lineup meeting.)

*Your major parade sponsors are the returning West Seattle YMCA (also a WSB sponsor), West Seattle Podcast (the folks in the ex-Petco space, aka Sound Ad Group), and International Parking Management. (WSB is proud to be among the next tier of donors – thanks to EVERYONE who chipped in to help make sure the parade would happen.)

*The Admiral District will make its debut in the parade – the newly formed business group

*As always, the Rotary Club of West Seattle-sponsored Kiddie Parade will be seen in The Junction, leaving California/Genesee at 11 am, marching, walking, rolling down the rest of the parade route to California/Edmunds – all kids welcome to participate (details here – you can sign up online OR just show up at the starting spot after 10 am)

*19 community groups (schools, churches, nonprofits, youth groups, lots and lots of your West Seattle neighbors)

*13 drill teams (including the always awesome Seattle Chinese Community Girls’ Drill Team)

*Performing acts including new participant Joyas Mestizas and Pathfinder K-8‘s unicyclists

*VIPs including Seafair royalty (cheer for Kelsey Bills, who is representing West Seattle Hi-Yu in this year’s Seafair Scholarship Program for Women competition)

*A red-and-yellow RapidRide bus

*Of course, the Seafair Pirates and the West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival float, among others who participate every year (Art and Gloria, the World War II veterans who were last year’s Grand Marshals, are scheduled to return!)

*Remember, it’s NOT the “Hi-Yu Parade.” Hi-Yu is IN the parade. The festival sponsored the parade in its early years (the first parade was in 1934). But it’s the West Seattle American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade now.

*Judges will be spread out along the route – no truth to the perception that acts show off at California/Alaska because that’s where they ALL are. Announcer Joe is at that intersection, though.

*One last reminder – if you ignore a sign like this any time between early Saturday morning and mid-afternoon …

… you are in danger of getting towed. Restrictions kick in at 7 am, per signs like that one along California, and that road will be closed earlier than usual because of the Float Dodger 5K. Side streets used for parade staging are mostly “just” parking restrictions but that means serious enforcement too – the area is needed for staging before AND afterward. And remember that the area around Hiawatha will be even busier because tomorrow is Day 1 of the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival, which begins right around the time the parade does!

(WSB coverage will start early in the morning with pre-parade preps. Later on, if you get cool parade pix, please consider sharing them with us, via e-mail or Flickr or Facebook or Twitter, for potential inclusion in our coverage! Thanks!)

(Photo of Officer John Bernasconi, courtesy Cindy Bernasconi)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Seattle Police Officer John Bernasconi, the SPD Motorcycle Drill Team‘s Drillmaster, will do this Saturday what no one before him has done:

He will relinquish his leadership of the team in a ceremony during the West Seattle Grand Parade.

Officer Bernasconi is retiring this year, after 43 years on the force, where he serves in the Traffic Division. He is also the longest active member of the Motorcycle Drill Team, which he joined 36 1/2 years ago – in January 1976, becoming Drillmaster in 2000. And – he is a West Seattleite, born and raised here.

That’s why he has chosen to have the changeover ceremony during the West Seattle Grand Parade, instead of a parade later in the season, as has been customary, we are told, for those before him.

It won’t happen at the start or the end of the drill team’s performance in the parade – but right in the middle. And you’re welcome to watch – but you have to be in the right place!

Read More

(WSB photo from just before the start of 2010 parade, in which we rode behind Post 160’s commander)
This Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade is suddenly short two convertibles for the VIP’s who ride toward the start – and organizers are asking if anyone out there in WSB-land can loan theirs. One is needed for Orville Rummel Trophy winner Shirley Vradenburgh (here’s our story from last night), and the other for parade-presenting American Legion Post 160‘s Commander Chris Shea, a Navy veteran riding in his final parade before a change of command for the Post. If you can loan one (or two!) convertibles to the parade, please contact co-coordinator Dave Vague ASAP – e-mail vagued@comcast.net. Thanks!

Our countdown to this Saturday’s West Seattle American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade continues with a brand-new entry:

Making their first appearance in the West Seattle Grand Parade this year are the Seattle Police Pipes and Drums. They practice at the Harbor Patrol facility on Lake Union, where we recorded that video last night. (They also participated in this year’s Seattle Police Memorial at Forest Lawn back in May.)

Their participation will change the first part of the parade a bit – the Seattle Police Motorcycle Drill Team will take off from the parade route’s California/Lander starting line at about 10:30, and instead of the Vancouver (B.C.) Police motorcycles being right after SPD, the Pipes and Drums will march … along with a special guest: The Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums. The West Seattle Grand Parade is the only parade in which they’ll participate; the Seattle and Boston pipers/drummers then have a big concert on Sunday night, along with even more visitors, from Delta, B.C. (The concert’s at 6 pm Sunday at Seattle University – full details here.)

The SPD Pipes and Drums are in their second year (their Boston mentors, in contrast, are in their 21st); they’re nonprofit, all-volunteer, supported but not financed by the department. And the group includes two West Seattleites:

The drum major, Scotty Bach, works in Criminal Intelligence at headquarters. One of the pipers is Michael Jongma, who’s with the Traffic Division:

And while he’s NOT a West Seattleite, we photographed Det. Mark Jamieson, who we usually talk with several times a week:

He is a member of the Public Affairs/Media Relations team downtown, so he’s often quoted in news stories – he and his colleagues find the info that us journalist types call to ask for. (They also write for SPD Blotter, tweet, appear on camera at major breaking-news scenes, etc.)

So look for the SPD Pipes and Drums this Saturday along California SW, between Lander and Edmunds, right after the SPD motorcycles (which start everything off at 10:30), marching with their Boston counterparts; then, see them Sunday night at Seattle U’s Pigott Auditorium (ticket info here).