9:48 AM: Before the West Seattle Grand Parade – the preparations. Including clearing the route – those “NO PARKING” signs are serious business, and after two tow trucks headed southbound on California, one returned with that ReachNow car on the hook. Parking restrictions are in place on some side streets, too. Meantime, just north of the parade route …
The Seafair Pirates are making their pre-parade appearance at Brookdale Admiral Heights, which hosts visiting “royalty” for a special breakfast. They will of course “sail” the parade route in their trusty landlubbing vessel Moby Duck, currently parked outside Brookdale. Back on the parade route:
Michelle Edwards and Jim Edwards – who rides the route before, during, and after, coordinating communication with amateur-radio operators – of the parade-coordination team were conferring, steps from the tent bearing the logo of the Rotary Club of West Seattle, which presents the parade. Also present, SFD and SPD – Engine 29 from nearby Ferry Avenue SW is a parade entry.
We also saw Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Steve Strand, who, while currently in his SPD uniform, will be changing pre-parade, he tells us, to ride as commander of the West Seattle VFW post.
Remember that California is now closed along the route, south of Admiral to north of Edmunds, and will be until the parade concludes around 1 pm. More updates to come!
10:20 AM: Motorcycles are here:
The Vancouver BC motorcycles arriving right after @SeattlePD – this is their only US parade! pic.twitter.com/yMFkDQwSxj
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 21, 2018
This is the only US appearance for the Vancouver B.C. PD drill team every year. They’ll follow the SPD team.
10:35 AM: The motorcycles haven’t left yet. We’ve seen another car towed, though! Still room to sit, even here at the head end of the route – even on the Hiawatha slope over the sidewalk.
We’ll post a separate story once the parade has begun, and we’ll also add a few more pre-parade photos to this one later.
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