Opportunity Sorely Missed

Wed., May 31, 2000

Charlotte A. Miller Special To

I have never watched the Torchlight Parade from the edge of the sidewalk at city center because I am one of those people who can’t be penned in by crowds of people. We panic.

I don’t do Bloomsday, either. But on Armed Forces Days in the past, I have truly appreciated the privilege of watching this community event on television - the high school marching bands and the community floats from all over the Inland Empire, including Canada, along with Fairchild Air Force Base participants.

Spokane is a city whose economy was built on wheat, lumber, silver and defense. I was one of those hundreds of women who became a part of the working force at the Spokane Army Air Depot (now Fairchild Air Force Base) during World War II. The small, two-bedroom starter homes built in the Shadle Park area also remind us of the immediate need at that time to house the homecoming GIs and their new brides, many of whom stayed to raise families and make Spokane their permanent residence.

A vision of the baby boomers to come and fast-growing families caused the churches of Spokane to establish a Sunday School for these little children in the heart of the expanding area. The first Sunday school was at the old Field School. Later Shadle Park Sunday School was built at Alberta and Rowan. It is now known as the Shadle Park Presbyterian Church who recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.

When we see the participation of region-wide high school bands, communities with their beautiful floats, and participants from Fairchild Air Force Base all marching together as one big family in the yearly Armed Forces Torchlight Parade celebration, we remember that this is who we are, and we take pride in Spokane’s history of growth.

While my next-door neighbor goes downtown early on parade day to find a good spot, my brother Richard and I have always turned on the television and watched from home. This year, however, there was no live telecast of the parade.

Many people believe that TV coverage of this very special parade is a highly newsworthy event, and we regret that we missed it this year.

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