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Anne Maxwell is a native
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Travel Article: Seattle Activities
Seafair's Torchlight Parade
by Anne Maxwell, Author
"An
Aussie in America" The Seafair Torchlight
Parade is a regular highlight of the Seafair summer
festival; a month of more than 40 events and activities around Puget Sound. The
parade has occurred in various incarnations since 1950. Nowadays it takes about
three hours to travel the 2.5-mile route along 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle after
starting at the Seattle Center.
If you find
yourself debating whether to watch the parade from along the street or to watch it on
television, the answer is definitely to be there with the crowds! Jack and I had a
great time. We got to wave to princesses, have our blood stirred by marching bands and
admire the skill and energy of the more than 100 participating floats, drill teams and
other groups.
From the perspective of a couple without small
kids in tow, we found the parade-viewing logistics to be straightforward. A crowd of
more than 300,000 was already in the area by the time we arrived. Apparently, 4th
Avenue was completely lined with people by 4.00 p.m. although the parade proper didn't
began until 7:30 p.m. Some folks, arriving as early as 10:00 a.m., had brought sofas
with portable TVs and were prepared to enjoy the parade in great style. Please
don’t interpret this to mean you need to be early to get a good view of the parade.
Rather, you might like to take a pre-parade look at the antics of those
early-curbside-birds.
We arrived downtown about 7.00 p.m. and
discovered there was plenty of paid parking close by (a $5.00 deal at the City Center car
park was our choice). After parking, we headed south along 4th to find a
viewing position. There was plenty to be had, although the crowd was about
three-deep by this time. So long as you were prepared to stand, it was easy enough
to find somewhere behind people who were seated, or, behind small children. If you
do arrive late with small children, they will see everything from your shoulders, or maybe
you will find someone generous enough to let them move in front. We ended up near the
corner of Union and 4th and found that being near an intersection provided a
more open space with less obstruction from such street furniture as bus shelters and
poles.
This was my first "live" parade in the
US. I have seen many parades in Hollywood movies where they are often used to
provide colorful crowd scenes. This parade was not nearly so polished as the
Hollywood-inspired version of my imagination. And I am glad that was so. The
parade seemed quite a casual affair, which in turn gave it a more endearing community
feel. This impression might be due to our being about midway along the route.
The parade was quite spread out by the time it reached us, so we were not bombarded by one
spectacle after another. Also, often in the distance we could hear the brass bands
playing and the drill teams getting extra applause from the crowd, but then most seemed to
choose our section of the route to take a break with straight marching and drumming.
I’ve made a note to myself, that if I am ever a parade organizer I will try to
get the participants to stagger their rest times!
There were over 100 entries in the parade, some
from as far away as Utah. The noisiest were the "Pirates", a Seafair
institution in themselves. Their cannon made us jump when it was a block
away. They very naughtily set it off with resounding echoes, under one of the
pedestrian overpasses which was filled with parade onlookers. The biggest objects
were the Macy-style helium balloons, bobbing along the street. It was amusing to
watch them negotiate the traffic lights and that same pedestrian overpass.
There were a noticeable number of military officers all riding on the back of
convertibles, informatively labeled with rank and regiment. This reflects the strong
presence of the military, especially the navy, in the Puget Sound area. (In fact the Defense Department is one of the largest employers in the Puget
Sound region. Major facilities include Fort Lewis Army Base, the Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard in Bremerton, Bangor Naval Submarine Base, McChord Air Force Base, and Naval
Station Everett.)
Highlights for us, and definite crowd-pleasers,
were the Asian and "oldies" contingents. The old timers bands showed the
most "oomph" and enthusiasm of the bands. The "Red Hot Mammas" a
comedy drill team from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, that included all ages and high-kicking
abilities, were a hit. Speaking of "oldies", the parade actually began
with former Seafair queens. The oldest (queen of 1952, I think) was riding on a car
out in front, in gown and sash, looking like she was having the time of her life.
This nostalgia surprised me, as my media-driven impression of America is of a country that
worships youth and the future. As I thought about why I was happy to cheer her
along, I realized I was not being presented with a matriarch, for that would require the
dignity of a carriage and more conservative clothing. Rather I was being encouraged
to celebrate the youthful spirit that can reside in a body of any age.
For color and skill the Thai, Taiwanese and
Chinese displays put us in most awe. The dancers with fans, the boys spinning
lengths of cord attached to their hats, the girls flicking brightly colored cloth through
the air, and the undulating Chinese dragons were entrancing. I loved the 100 or so
girls who looked like oriental porcelain dolls in costumes of rich purple and gold with
their hair lacquered high above their heads. They moved in tiny steps, keeping their
upper bodies poised, so they appeared to be gliding rather than walking along. An
enormous drum, about 7 feet in diameter, loomed up on a float, and seemed to emanate with
an ancient power. A drummer on either side played it with choreographed movements.
Of course there is always the other spectacle
that comes with such events, the spectators themselves. The predominance of families
meant it was a pleasant crowd. The kids with mum and dad and the grandparents staking out
their positions, teenagers all dolled up and strolling around posing for each other.
I got a laugh out of the little kids having sword fights with the plastic toy
swords sold by vendors before the parade, and the youths behind us shouting out to the
waving princesses for their phone numbers. At one point a crowd of about 50 young
people began to gather in Union Street behind us. I only noticed them because a
woman next to me was warning her husband to get ready to move if anything happened.
For a few surreal minutes I was able to look forwards upon a scene of community fun, and
behind me to scene of uncertain tensions. Then a specialized sector of the police
force, with "gang unit" emblazoned on their shirts, arrived and the scene behind
us dissolved. An acute rendition of this land of contrasts.
 |
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