Last night’s West Seattle Hi-Yu membership meeting was an occasion for both holiday celebration and serious business: Choosing the float theme for next year. West Seattle is the only neighborhood in the city that still has its own parade float traveling the region representing the community; before all that happens during a long season of parades, the year’s theme must be chosen – then the float’s designed and built. Twelve potential themes were proposed at Monday night’s meeting in the fellowship hall at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church; Hi-Yu members at the meeting each got three votes, and then the top three votegetters went up for a runoff. The final three: A music-focused float themed “Rockin’ the West Side”; an unnamed concept involving spaceships and aliens with a slogan along the lines of “Every Visitor Is Welcome in West Seattle”; and a fanciful fairytale landscape themed “Dreams Do Come True” – which won, hands down. Incoming Junior Court Princess Kaitlin (above) presented the idea, a collaboration with Bianca and Isabella – here’s a closer look at some of the components sketched out for the concept:

Look for “Dreams Do Come True” next parade season – we’ll keep you posted when float development revs up! Also from Monday night’s Hi-Yu meeting: The float undercarriage is almost ready for full winter storage; it’s being kept at a local tow yard. … Plaques and trophies from the awards won by this past season’s much-honored “How Sweet It Is” float were given to individual royalty members by request – as Hi-Yu president Tim Winston put it, they are more meaningful as personal mementos that way, than if they went into a box for storage on behalf of the entire organization. And Hi-Yu fundraiser ornament sales have been a hit – only a dozen are left (here’s how to get one). So, want to propose a float idea and/or vote on it next year? All you have to do is join Hi-Yu – membership dues support the summer festival as well as the float program representing West Seattle around the region – here’s the application.