West Seattle Grand Parade, report #2: 1st post-parade update

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli, substituted 3:17 pm for previous Twitpic by @zenbard)
The streets are reopening – now that the West Seattle Grand Parade is over for another year. We had a blast riding in the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) loaned to us by MC Electric Vehicles (which is on the south side of downtown, by Goodwill) – it’s more traditional to ride in a convertible, but we wanted something electric-powered for the occasion! Got to watch most of the parade since we were the fifth entry out and done before the other 70-plus; will add a few photos shortly, with much more coverage to come a bit later. Our favorite iPhone photo taken just before it began – that’s the U.S. Coast Guard flyover, with the Color Guard and Post 160 Commander Chris Shea in the foreground:

And here’s a closer look at the chopper itself:

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Thanks to everybody who waved and yelled along the way – as the sign on the back of our vehicle read, “Thank YOU for being part of WSB” – !!! (And thanks to parade-presenting American Legion Post 160 for honoring WSB with the Orville Rummel Trophy – from what we learned about the other recipients while researching the story we published this morning, it’s awesome company.)

MargL July 24, 2010 (2:34 pm)

Was a great parade! Fun, small town feel and saw lots of folks we know!
Best ‘treat’ handouts: Fruit snacks, Clif Kids Z Bars from PCC, and apricots from WS Produce Co.
Yum!

Michaelle Crovisier July 24, 2010 (2:41 pm)

It sure was Great! drill teams, pretty girls and great music. I love West Seattle do you?

miws July 24, 2010 (3:33 pm)

Another fun Grand Parade! Thanks to all involved!

The WSBMobile is cool! :cool: I don’t know what was more impressive, the burnout that Patrick did, or the block long figure 8’s on two wheels!

Too bad Christopher didn’t get a shot of either of those, or did Patrick only do them at the start of the parade? :P

Mike

littlebrowndog July 24, 2010 (4:06 pm)

It was a fabulous parade. I loved it. But I do have a question: at the very beginning of the event, as the kiddie parade was marching down the street, why did about 90% of the people continue sitting as the American flag passed by? When the honor guard passed by to begin the regular portion of the parade I would still guess that at least 50% of the people remained seated. Is showing respect for the American flag now passe’?

sam July 24, 2010 (4:40 pm)

love your choice of vehicle ! especially when seeing tow trucks towing tow trucks towing tow trucks…

great parade!

sun*e July 24, 2010 (4:46 pm)

@miws – okay I give up, how do I put sunglasses on my happy face :) so it looks cool?

miws July 24, 2010 (6:19 pm)

sun*e first off, you might want to get a pair off tweezers, if you’re like me and not very dexterous. ;)

Okay, seriously, just put a colon (:) on each side of the word cool, with no spaces in between.

Mike

Patrick July 24, 2010 (7:53 pm)

Mike- before I did this I was Burt Reynolds’ backup driver and toupee wrangler.

Pam July 24, 2010 (9:58 pm)

We’ve only missed 5 or so of the parades in the last 30 years – this one was really tops. The flow was great, no big gaps between participants. Floats were great, bands and drill teams were great, JP Patches will always be my fav. The Pirates, the clowns, the firetrucks….. the kids with their eyes as big as saucers as they watched the parade go by….. a great West Seattle event.

miws July 24, 2010 (10:18 pm)

“….I was Burt Reynolds’ […..] toupee wrangler.

Ahh! That would explain the scars I’ve noticed on the backs of your hands when meeting you in person! :P

Mike

sun*e July 24, 2010 (10:40 pm)

:cool: Whoa!!! Check it out… I got a happy face with sunglasses on… oh so cool! I love learnin’ new stuff… tell me more… please! :)

miws July 25, 2010 (1:41 pm)

Let’s see, off the top of my head, the ones that get converted on this site:

You already know the basic :)

Now;

; )= ;)
: D= :D
: P= :P
: (= :(
: mad := :mad:

Again, omit the space from inbetween the colon and the parentheses/symbol.

One smilie that I’d like to use on occasion, and have tried a few different ways, is the the “rolleyes”, but the ways I’ve tried it, ( :rolleyes: :rolleye: :eyeroll: ) the software doesn’t recognize and convert.

Mike