Parade Steps Off With Special Honorees

March 4, 2017

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By Charlie Warner, Special to the Independent

Amy Jackson, left, and Pam Wicks, right, add color to the 2016 parade. This year's sets out on Saturday, March 4, on Park Avenue. — Amy Jackson, left, and Pam Wicks, right, add color to the 2016 parade. This year’s sets out on Saturday, March 4, on Park Avenue.

The 51st Patriots Day Parade just around the corner is lining up to be a special one. With 86 entries, the parade will feature patriotic fervor from the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution to World War II and Vietnam veterans as well as athletic stand-outs like an Olympic gold medalist.

The parade’s honorees will all be riding in style in different collectible vintage cars driven by their respective owners. The grand marshals of the parade are hometown sisters, Aria and Makenzie Fischer, water polo gold medalists in the 2016 Olympics.

“This parade is a great show of how close our community is as a whole,” said Aria, a Laguna Beach High School senior, who has participated in the parade several times before in other entries. “It’s nice to see how much support the community has for each other.”

Unfortunately, Makenzie, enrolled at Stanford University, will allow her sister to reap the hometown glory on her own. (Keep an eye out for a glimmer of gold as she passes by.)

The parade steps off Saturday, March 4, starting at 11 a.m. from Park Avenue at Short Street. Free trolleys will set out earlier than usual, at 9 a.m., to accommodate parade goers. The weather forecast is predicted to be a partly cloudy 64 degrees with a gentle breeze, so there is no excuse to forego experiencing this community event.

The honored patriot of the year is Robert W. Sternfels of the U.S. Air Force. Sternfels received a Silver Star, the nation’s third highest honor awarded for valor in combat, for his heroics as a World War II pilot. Several veteran groups will also be in the march, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars Combined Color Guard, the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band, the South Orange County Vietnam Veterans and a group called World War II Rangers Lead the Way. “Rangers Lead the Way” is the official motto of U.S. Army Rangers.

Next among the honorees is citizen of the year, Doug Miller, a 40-year Sawdust Festival artist. The prolific artist paints tiny canvases of every nook and cranny around town.

He also served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. Along with his paintings, Miller has photographed thousands of local events, acting as an unofficial documentarian and archivist for the town. Don’t be surprised to see Miller with his camera even as he rides along the parade route.

Fellow artist John Barber has been named artist of the year for his groundbreaking work in glassblowing. After traveling around Europe and learning the ancient art of glassblowing, Barber moved to Laguna in 1985, and has since created art shown in the Sawdust Festival and the Festival of Arts, most notably creating several glass works for the Montage resort.

The junior citizens of the year include high school standouts Madison Sinclair and Wyatt Ship. One of their peers, Jaren Ghetien, has also designed the cover for the parade program. Thurston eighth grader Claire Tigner will also be in the parade as winner of the essay competition, published in the program.

Event chair and treasurer Sandi Werthe pointed out some potential highlights to look for: Laguna Presbyterian Church’s float will include a birthday cake marking its 100th anniversary and Laguna Sister Cities Assoc. sets out in a 1933 Rolls Royce and a 1961 Citroen, reflecting the British and French siblings adopted by the association.

The parade will be announced by two different people at two spots along the route. Jim Rue announces from in front of the Laguna Public Library and John Kountz reads out the float descriptions in front of City Hall at the end of the parade route.

After the parade, an awards ceremony takes place at Tivoli Too! The ceremony is mostly for the various bands that participate. This year, bands expected along the parade route include Palmdale, Barstow, Temple City, La Puente, Chino Hills, Covina, and, of course Laguna’s high school and elementary bands.

To accommodate the parade route as well as pedestrian traffic in the downtown area, portions of Forest, Ocean and Park avenues, and Beach, Third, Glenneyre, Short and Legion streets will be closed to vehicular traffic before and during the parade. Free public parking will be available at the city’s Forest/Laguna Canyon and Lumberyard parking lots adjacent to City Hall. The weekly farmer’s market is cancelled due to the parade, and will resume on March 11.

2017 LAGUNA BEACH PATRIOTS DAY PARADE LINEUP