PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Fair Royalty float won first place in the Outstanding Float category in the Port Angeles Fourth of July Parade.
The Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced the winners in three categories: Outstanding Float, Outstanding Musical Entry and Thematic Entry.
Tuesday’s parade, managed as in the past by Kitsap Bank, featured 65 entries, including the Navy Band Northwest Marching Band — which was not eligible for a prize award — as well as first responder organizations; service clubs; a variety of politicians and political organizations; numerous clubs, civic organizations and local businesses; and the Port Angeles Lefties baseball team.
Judges scored the entries in the staging area, as well as their performances during the parade, following criteria in the areas of workmanship, design, general effect, theme, and costume and casting.
The cash prizes are sponsored by Mister Buds.
The winners are:
Outstanding Float
• First: Clallam County Fair Royalty, $1,000.
• Second: TAFY (The Answer for Youth) Sprouting Hope Greenhouse, $500.
• Third: Relay for Life Clallam County, $200.
Outstanding Musical Entry
• First: Ghostlight Productions, $400
• Second: No winner identified, $200.
Thematic Entry
• First: Sequim Irrigation Festival, $400.
• Second: Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, $200.
The parade followed a new route this year, centered on the downtown area of Port Angeles, including the waterfront, and avoiding the U.S. Highway 101/Lincoln Street route of recent years.
“We’re extremely pleased with the support from Mister Buds, who made it possible for us to offer prize awards to the best parade entries,” said Marc Abshire, executive director of the chamber of commerce.
“Their sponsorship helps us incentivize a planned improvement in the quality of parade entries, and the quality of this parade, overall.
“Mister Buds also knows, as we do, that the impact of prize awards won’t be seen in just one year, and that it will take a couple of years for improvements to be noticed.
“In fact, we hope a lot of organizations are starting their planning for next year’s parade right now. Congrats to this year’s winners, and hats off to Mister Buds.”
Judges for this year’s parade awards included Bret Pfost, Aramark; Sharon Thompson, Olympic Medical Center; Stephen Fofanoff, Domaine Madeleine; Carol Sinton, Port Angeles Revitalize; and Abshire.
The chamber will contact prize winners in the next few days, and can answer questions at 360-452-2364.
Clallam County Fair Princess Marykate Napiontek, left, and Queen Janeydean O’Connor wave to the crowd in Tuesday’s Fourth of July Parade in Port Angeles. Their parade entry took top honors for outstanding float. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
