Start Your Summer With A Parade

Thu., June 3, 1999

By Angie Gaddy angieg@spokesman.com

Nothing says summer like a good parade.

That’s what SCOPE West Valley volunteers had in mind when they began West Valley Family Days five years ago.

Since its inception, the fund-raiser has grown from meager beginnings into an event that draws crowds of more than 1,000.

“It’s the only one we have besides the Millwood middle school’s,” said event organizer Bille Evers. “It doesn’t go very far, but it makes a lot of noise.”

The parade will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Grace Avenue and Boeing Road.

Clowns, West Valley High School’s Lilac Princess and a few floats will travel west on Grace to Stout Road, turn north on Stout then turn onto Frederick Avenue. The parade will end at Millwood City Park on Frederick.

Sheriff Mark Sterk will serve as the parade master.

The parade will be followed by a carnival at noon, where children can register to win a free bicycle and fill up on hot dogs and homemade ice cream while watching some poor soul soak it up in the dunk booth.

Volunteers will raffle off dozens of door prizes - everything from bird feeders to restaurant gift certificates.

This is the only fund-raiser for SCOPE West Valley. Last year, organizers raised $3,000.

“Some SCOPE stations have spaghetti feeds or pancake breakfasts,” Evers said. “This is ours.”

The carnival will have a heavy emphasis on law enforcement efforts, with police cars, representatives from SCOPE and DARE.

Parents who want to have their child’s picture scanned on computer disk in case their child is lost can do so.

Others may just wish to enjoy the summertime blues.

Three musical performances are scheduled:

Better Daze, a rock band playing the music of the 1960s and ‘70s, will perform from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the park.

The North Hill Brass Trio, from Project Joy, will perform from 2 to 2:45 p.m.

A group of fiddlers will perform from 3 to 4 p.m.

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