BRINNON — The 29th annual Loyalty Day Parade was much like its predecessors, which pleased those who participated or watched.
“Everybody who’s somebody in the county is right here,” said Brinnon resident Jim Watson.
“It hasn’t changed, but it is a stabilizing parade that is a tradition.”
About 100 people gathered Friday afternoon to watch 27 parade participants wave the U.S. flag, including law enforcement, government, commercial and civic groups.
The parade began at 1 p.m. and ended about nine minutes later.
One minute of this was a delay, when one float stopped briefly.
Like many parades, candy was part of it, with all participants tossing out small pieces for onlookers.
While many parades find participants tossing out one or two pieces at a time, some on the floats Friday threw out large handfuls of candy that landed on the ground.
The candy was picked up by people later in the parade, mostly children, who spread the wealth to onlookers down the line.
Most of the county’s elected officials were in attendance.
“This is heartfelt,” said Superior Court Clerk Ruth Gordon.
“It reminds me of my own upbringing in a small town where everybody knows everybody.”
Season’s first event
“It’s the first event of the political season,” said District 2 County Commissioner David Sullivan.
“It’s a fun event because you get to see all the kids, and it’s another chance to connect with the people.”
Loyalty Day was first observed nationally in 1921 as Americanization Day.
It was designated as an official holiday by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom.
The official designation is May 1, but the Brinnon celebration is celebrated on the last Friday in April and is organized by the local Veteran of Foreign Wars post.
“This is a great opportunity for folks to get out and see their neighbors,” resident Joy Baisch said.
“We need to do this because we want to pay tribute to these VFW guys because there aren’t many of them left.”
The Brinnon branch of the VFW has 37 members, according to member Larry Hartley.
“It’s nice to see all of these guys here when we come out of the winter,” Baisch said.
“If these gentlemen are still here, there is hope for the rest of the year.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
