Both Seattle Police and Seattle Fire were part of Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade:

That’s the SPD Motorcycle Drill Team, once an almost taken-for-granted feature in local parades, until the pandemic and staffing shortages. Last year they made a surprise, if small, comeback; this year, eight officers performed. Our video shows them toward the end of the parade route in The Junction; the voices are those of parade announcers Brian and Christa Callanan … SFD sent Engine 29 from the Admiral District’s Station 29, with some of its crew walking alongside:

We have yet more parade video and photos to roll out later today – see what we’ve already published by scrolling here!

When the West Seattle Grand Parade ends, the final phase of that group’s work begins – deciding the winners in a dozen categories, as well as the overall grand-prize winners. They are the parade’s volunteer judges, and along with that photo, we’ve received the list of their decisions about today’s ~90 parade entries! We’ve already published images of some of them, and will be adding more to this list in the hours ahead as we continue processing all the video and photos we have:

OVERALL GRAND PRIZE WINNERS:

1st Place: Seattle All-City Band

2nd Place: Electronettes Hi-Steppers Drill Team & Drumline

3rd Place: West Seattle Mrs. Ropers

CHEER TEAMS:

1st Place: West Seattle High School Co-Ed Cheer Team

2nd Place: Chief Sealth International High School Cheerleading

COMMUNITY DANCE TEAMS:

1st Place: Joyas Mestizas

2nd Place: Comerford Irish Dancers

3rd Place: West Seattle Irish Dance

MARCHING BANDS:

1st Place: Seattle All-City Band

2nd Place: The All-Star Drumline

3rd Place: Kennedy Catholic High School “Lancer” Marching Band and Color Guard

PERFORMING ACTS:

1st Place: Hi-Liners Musical Theatre

2nd Place: Seattle Chinese American Chamber of Commerce

3rd Place: Rain City Ropeworks Jump Rope Team

CARS AND ANTIQUE CARS:

1st Place: Corvette Marque Club

2nd Place: STS Construction

3rd Place: 1942 American-LaFrance Fire Engine

COMMUNITY YOUTH:

1st Place: Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby

2nd Place: Endolyne Children’s Choir

3rd Place: Highline Premier FC

COMMERCIAL:

1st Place: Dragonfly West Seattle

2nd Place: Airport Towing, Burien Towing, & Columbia Towing

3rd Place: Can Doo Pet Waste Service

COMMUNITY ADULT:

1st Place: West Seattle Mrs. Ropers

2nd Place: F3 Seattle

3rd Place: West Seattle Lions Club

DRILL TEAM SENIOR:

1st Place: Electronettes Hi-Steppers Drillteam & Drumline

2nd Place: Rhapsody Winterguard

3rd Place: Evergreen Drill Team

DRILL TEAM JUNIOR:

1st Place: Babynettes Drill Team (Jr. Electronettes team)

2nd Place: Daughters of Royalty Drill & Dance Ensemble

CONVEYED FLOAT:

1st Place: Holy Rosary School

2nd Place: Calvary Chapel West Seattle

SEAFAIR:

1st Place: Seattle Seafair Pirates

2nd Place: Seattle Seafair Clowns

3rd Place: Seattle Commodores

Again, we’ll be adding photos and video for as many of the winners as we can – and we have more parade scenes to come beyond this list, too! (We should note that the Rotary Club of West Seattle Foundation presents the parade, and community sponsors help cover the costs, which are considerable; volunteer power is vital, too.)

Photo credits: Most by Oliver Hamlin for WSB. A few photos, plus the videos, by Tracy Record. Others as credited.

You don’t generally see individual Seattle Public Schools bands in summer parades because musicians from schools around the city join forces for the All-City Band, which not only appeared in today’s West Seattle Grand Parade, as shown in our video above, but also is practicing on the peninsula this year – at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex – since Memorial Stadium is out of commission for its overhaul. This also means ACB will host Band Jam here this year, next Friday (July 25) – a showcase of bands as well as a practice for those who are in the Seafair Torchlight Parade – more on Band Jam later. Other school groups in today’s Grand Parade included, up from Burien, the Kennedy Catholic High School Marching Band:

Our area’s two largest high schools both had cheer teams in the parade – here’s West Seattle High School:

And Chief Sealth International High School:

When Holy Rosary School went by with its float, we noted about 100 people walking alongside!

And Hope Lutheran School brought along its eagle mascot:

Next up – the parade judges’ winning picks!

(First and third photos by Oliver Hamlin for WSB)

For more than a decade, we’ve photographed Lou Cutler walking or running. Today, he was riding … in a convertible from the Corvette Marque Club, as Grand Marshal of the 2025 West Seattle Grand Parade. Lou, a retired P-E teacher, was honored primarily for his many years volunteering with and raising money for Make-A-Wish, which grants wishes to seriously ill children.

Lou’s “Make-A-Wish Friends” walked behind his car to raise awareness that you can help too (here’s how to volunteer, and here’s how to support MAW through Lou’s latest fundraiser).

Also riding in a convertible as parade honorees, Joanie Jacobs and Dan Jacobs of the Admiral Neighborhood Association (as well as many other community endeavors):

The West Seattle Grand Parade Committee chose them as this year’s recipients of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community; Mr. Rummel was the parade’s founder, and our story about last year’s honorees includes a list of those who’ve received it dating back to 1984 (including WSB in 2010). The Jacobs’ focus has been on community connections, and that was in evidence during this stop along the parade route:

They also got two turns riding in today’s parade, turning up toward parade’s end atop the Seafair Pirates‘ Moby Duck.

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
More parade reports ahead!

The West Seattle Grand Parade is happening now, with SPD’s motorcycle unit – eight officers this year – having just headed south on California from the parade starting point at Lander, by the north end of Hiawatha. The rest of the 90+ entries will start walking, rolling, etc. soon too. If you’re not settled in to watch the parade, remember that California is closed from Admiral to the south end of The Junction, and buses are rerouted, until the parade is over – we’re covering it from our usual spot near the start (with team members elsewhere too) and will update when it wraps up here and elsewhere; usually the street is reopened section by section.

12:20 PM: After an hour and a half, the parade is over in Admiral – with parade coordinator Michelle Edwards riding down the route at the end – but it continues southbound to The Junction for a while longer – we’ll be following so we can update when it’s concluded there too. And then – lots more coverage to come, with photos and video.

1:15 PM: Done in The Junction too,

It wouldn’t be West Seattle Grand Parade Eve if Potter Construction didn’t send a photo of their entry – a brightly decorated work truck. Potter is a longtime WSB sponsor and also a parade sponsor; proprietor Gary Potter also is a member of the Rotary Club of West Seattle, which presents the parade. It follows the Float Dodger 5K, presented by West Seattle Runner (also a WSB sponsor) as a fundraiser for the West Seattle Food Bank (not too late to register to run or walk in the 5K!). We’ve been previewing all this all week, and including parking/road-closure reminders in our daily traffic roundups, but here’s one more look at what you should know:

PARADE ROUTE: Southbound on California Avenue SW from Lander to Edmunds.

PARKING RESTRICTIONS: The signs have been up for days and they cover more ground than the parade route, including side streets, for staging and detour reasons. So if you see a no-parking sign, pay attention – starting at 7 am tomorrow, the restrictions are in effect, and if you try to get away with ignoring them, you are at major risk of being towed – the streets need to be clear for safety reasons.

STREET CLOSURE AND PARADE/5K START: California closes south of Admiral fairly early in the morning too, with parade entries starting to arrive and getting directed to their staging zone (entries enter the parade route from three directions, as parade coordinator Michelle Edwards and assistants greenlight them). The route has to be clear by the time the Float Dodger starts at 9:30 am, and participants in turn have to be off the route so the SPD Motorcycle Drill Team can get going around 10:45. The other motorcyclist you’ll see is Jim Edwards, past parade coordinator and current safety/communication leader, checking the route and staying in touch with the ham-radio operators reporting in on how things are looking along the route.

RANDOM THINGS TO KNOW: The parade is an official Seafair-sanctioned event, so near the start of the route, you’ll see some of their seasoned parade personnel helping out (the Seafair Clowns, Seafair Commodores, and Seafair Pirates are in the parade too) … Speaking of which, the Pirates usually fire their cannon multiple times along the way, so even if you’re not on or near the parade route, you’ll hear those blasts …The Seafair Clowns have some sirens and horns too, so they can be kind of loud … Three announcing stations are expected this time – Brian and Christa Callanan at California/Alaska, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle at California/Charlestown, and the West Seattle Eagles at California/Genesee … and there are official watch parties at various businesses on California this time, starting at West Seattle Realty (2715 California SW; WSB sponsor) and heading southward (including, on the same block, post-Float Dodger, at West Seattle Runner [2743 California SW; WSB sponsor]) … Be sure to cheer for parade honorees riding toward the start – grand marshal Lou Cutler and Orville Rommel Trophy winners Dan and Joanie Jacobs … We’ll have plenty of parade coverage tomorrow – if you’re going, see you there!

If your group, school, team, business (etc.) has a float in Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade, it’s definitely crunch time for float-building! Above, Cindi sent that photo of the West Seattle Amateur Radio Club‘s float-in-progress (pickup-truck-borne). The WSARC has another role during the parade, as we’ve mentioned before – ham operators assist with communication, coordination, and safety up and down the parade route, before, during, and after. WSARC is one of more than a dozen community groups in the parade; more than a dozen sports-related groups will be in it too; so will eight dance and drill groups; and six music groups. Those aren’t all the types of entries you’ll see – in all, the parade lineup currently holds more than 90 entries, leading off with the Seattle Police Motorcycle Drill Team (building back, with at least eight officers this year) departing California south of Lander at about 10:45 am Saturday, headed southbound to The Junction. All of California from Admiral to Edmunds closes for the parade, and parking restrictions (stretching beyond those boundaries – you should have seen the signs by now) kick in around 7 am (you will be towed, so don’t risk it). There are official “parade watch parties” at some businesses this year (we’ve added one to the list, hosted by West Seattle Runner, which presents the pre-parade Float Dodger 5K – if you’re having one that’s not listed but is open to the public, let the parade team and us know – westseattleparade@gmail.com and westseattleblog@gmail.com. See you Saturday!

The West Seattle Grand Parade is four days away, this Saturday, July 19th, 11 am start at California/Lander, continuing south to California/Edmunds. We had the annual privilege of sitting in on the parade-lineup meeting last night with parade coordinator Michelle Edwards, parade chair Keith Hughes, parade judging leader Barbara Edwards, and past parade coordinator/communication leader Jim Edwards (who leads a band of amateur-radio operators communicating along the route). More than 80 entries are signed up this year, and for this countdown, we thought we’d mention four groups of characters expected to participate. Above in our photo from last year, the West Seattle Mrs. Ropers are expected in their caftans, wigs, and shades; also lavishly costumed will be Star Wars of Washington, taking you to a galaxy far far away for just a moment! And then you’ll of course see the two memorable Seafair performing groups, the Seafair Pirates and Seafair Clowns. More to share in our next preview – meantime, decide where you’re going to watch – there will be announcers at California/Alaska, California/Charlestown, and California/Genesee, and “watch parties” at multiple stops (like WSB sponsor West Seattle Realty at 2715 California SW, close to the start). Scroll through other Grand Parade news here!

(WSB file photo)

ORIGINAL TUESDAY AFTERNOON REPORT: The precision, prestigious Seattle Chinese Community Girls’ Drill Team is expected to return to the West Seattle Grand Parade this year for the first time since before the pandemic. We got word of that while talking with Keith Hughes, who chairs the parade for the Rotary Club of West Seattle, which presents it. He told the club that more than 70 entries are already signed up for the parade, and that sponsorships are ahead of last year. Keith said they’re expecting other comebacks, too. The parade is set for Saturday, July 19, starting at 11 am at California/Lander in The Admiral District and proceeding all the way down California to the south end of The Junction – watch for more info as it gets closer (and don’t forget it’s preceded by the Float Dodger 5K on the parade route – registration for that is open now!).

P.S. We were at today’s Rotary meeting for an unrelated topic, the club’s annual scholarship presentations – details coming up in a separate story!

EARLY WEDNESDAY UPDATE: From Parade Coordinator Michelle Edwards:

For clarification regarding our current parade entries, we are excited to introduce a new parade entry this year from the Seattle American Chinese Chamber of Commerce – The Flying Dragons and Lions!

In their own words: “The Flying Dragons and Lions bring the energy of good luck and prosperity to any event! The percussion instruments and dragons work together to symbolize the balance of the Ying and Yang energies!”

We are looking forward to welcoming this new entry to the West Seattle Grand Parade this summer and will have more new and exciting entries from around the greater Seattle area to highlight as we get closer to the parade.

Before the weekend’s out, we have 10 more photos from Saturday’s 90th edition of the West Seattle Grand Parade:

#1: If you watched near California/Alaska, the announcers you heard were Christa and Brian Callanan. Parade organizers presented them with an award for their volunteer service:

#2: We mentioned some first-time participants in our previews. Another sort-of first – this was Rob Saka‘s first Grand Parade as District 1 City Councilmember:

#3: Among this year’s participants were seven WSB sponsors – here’s how they rolled in the parade, from hydro to hearse:

Above, it’s just not a parade without a hydro, and STS Construction Services‘ parade entry included one. Below, Emmick Family Funeral Services had the only hearse in the parade, a classic Cadillac:

We showed you Potter Construction‘s parade preps on Friday night – here’s how the parade sponsor/participants went down the route:

Westside School had a contingent in the parade – showing what you might say was a pride of wolves:

Village Green Retirement Living-West Seattle was one of more than a few parade entries with vans or mini-buses:

Another was The Mount, which added human-powered wheels too:

We showed you some of the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA‘s marchers in our awards gallery; they had this van too!

Finally, one more pre-parade view – at the center of this photo is parade coordinator Michelle Edwards, whose volunteer work organized those 80-plus entries into the 90th West Seattle Grand Parade. This was the moment as she assessed whether it was time to give the Honor Guard the green light to start down the parade route (which is monitored all along the way, Admiral to The Junction, by volunteers including more than a dozen amateur-radio operators):

Watch thewestseattleparade.com for information on how to participate and/or be a sponsor next year!

EARLIER PARADE COVERAGE: Our video and photos of all 42 award-winning entries is here; how the parade began, including the Duwamish blessing and the honorees who rode at the start, is here. For our previews, and coverage of previous years’ parades, scroll through this WSB archive.

Those are the West Seattle Grand Parade judges, who reviewed the 80-plus entries in today’s parade and chose the winners! Parade coordinator Michelle Edwards just sent us the judges’ final list. (11:55 PM UPDATE: We have finished adding photos and video below over the past several hours, showing all the winners .)

WEST SEATTLE GRAND PARADE OVERALL GRAND-PRIZE WINNERS

1st Place: All-City Band

2nd Place: Seafair Pirates

3rd Place: West Seattle Mrs. Ropers

CHEER TEAMS

1st Place: West Seattle High School Coed Cheer Team

2nd Place: Kennedy High School Cheer

3rd Place: Chief Sealth High School Cheer

COMMUNITY DANCE TEAMS

1st Place: Grupo Folklorico Citlali

2nd Place: Sayaw Filipino Folk Dance Troupe

3rd Place: Comerford School of Irish Dance

MARCHING BANDS

1st Place: All-City Band

2nd Place: Sumner High School Spartan Marching Band

3rd Place: (Tie) All-Star Drumline and Kennedy Catholic High School Lancer Marching Band and Color Guard

PERFORMING ACTS

1st Place: Hi-Liners Musical Theatre

2nd Place: Rain City Ropeworks Jump Rope Team

3rd Place: (Tie) Southpaw Barbershop and Endolyne Children’s Choir

EQUESTRIAN

1st Place: Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle

CARS & ANTIQUE CARS

1st Place: Corvette Marque Club Seattle

2nd Place: VFW Jeep

3rd Place: Walter’s Wine Shop

COMMUNITY ADULT

1st Place: West Seattle Mrs. Ropers

2nd Place: F3 Seattle

3rd Place: Star Wars Washington

COMMUNITY YOUTH

1st Place: Flower Power! Petals to Metal! Girl Scouts of Western Washington

2nd Place: Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby

3rd Place: West Seattle Fauntleroy YMCA

COMMERCIAL

1st Place: StarCycle

2nd Place: Dragonfly West Seattle

3rd Place: Seattle Gymnastics Academy

DRILL TEAM SR.

1st Place: Dolls & Gents Drill Team and Drumline

2nd Place: Electronettes HiSteppers Drill Team and Drumline

DRILL TEAM JR.

1st Place: Baby Dolls Drill Team

2nd Place: Daughters of Royalty Drill and Dance Ensemble

3rd Place: (Tie) Epitome Drill Team and the Electronettes Jr. Drill Team

CONVEYED FLOAT

1st Place: Holy Rosary School

2nd Place: West Seattle Lions

3rd Place: Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum

SEAFAIR
1st Place: Seafair Pirates

2nd Place: Seafair Clowns

3rd Place: Seafair Commodores

We have at least two more parade galleries yet to come. Meantime, see all our parade coverage, including previews, in this WSB archive.

We’ve been processing photos and videos, and now it’s time to start presenting parade galleries! First – how this year’s West Seattle Grand Parade began. If you were in The Junction, you saw and heard Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen bless the parade for the first time. Our video is above. Meantime, at the start of the parade route at California/Lander, it began with the return of Seattle Police motorcycles – albeit a smaller group – for the first time in five years:

They performed simpler maneuvers than you might recall, including some circling:

Their appearance wasn’t announced in advance because even parade organizers weren’t sure they’d be able to make it until they arrived. They were followed onto the parade route by another law-enforcement group, the King County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard:

Also toward the start, this year’s Grand Marshals, the West Seattle High School baseball team, winners of this year’s state championship – and yes, they brought the trophy:

The players and coaches required so many vehicles, we recorded video too:

Also toward the start were this year’s winners of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community – explained here -local volunteers extraordinaire Bianca Thomka and Neil Duncan:

Next up – the list of award-winning entries, as decided by West Seattle Grand Parade judges!

10:50 AM: The West Seattle Grand Parade has just begun at California/Lander, starting off with a last-minute surprise – four SPD motorcycles. After years of hiatus, a smaller group is just getting back to parade participation. Someone else to watch for as the parade makes its way south on California to Edmunds, as mentioned in one of our previews, the West Seattle Mrs. Ropers:

This will be the biggest parade in years, with more than 80 entries expected (you can see our previews by scrolling through this coverage archive). Remember that California is closed south of Admiral, to the south end of The Junction, until the route is cleared – the parade proceeds southbound on California. You can watch anywhere that has a view of the street. We’ll update when it’s over, and we’ll of course have lots of coverage later.

12:19 PM: The parade has ended at the north end, with volunteers from A Cleaner Alki:

We’ll update when it’s concluded at the south end. And then – lots of highlights later!

1 PM: Over in The Junction too. Street has been reopening block by block behind it.

It all begins in a matter of hours … and some participants in tomorrow’s West Seattle Grand Parade are just finishing up their entries:

That’s part of the crew from Potter Construction, a parade sponsor and participant (and longtime WSB sponsor too), decorating their truck. We’ve been publishing parade previews all week, after sitting in on the Monday night parade-lineup review meeting as usual. More entries to mention tonight so you can be ready to cheer them on – youth-focused organizations! Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby, Rain City Ropeworks, Endolyne Children’s Choir, Highline Premier FC, West Seattle Junior Football and Cheer, Seattle Gymnastics Academy, drill teams, scouting groups … you can also watch for unique entries like the DeLorean car(s), costumed Star Wars fans, and the Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum‘s USS Nimitz replica.

(WSB photo, 2023 Float Dodger 5K)

But first, the Float Dodger 5K sends hundreds of runners and walkers from Hiawatha Playfield (2700 California SW) out onto the parade route at 9:30 am, and you can still register to be part of it – West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) presents the Float Dodger, and proceeds go to help the West Seattle Food Bank fight hunger and prevent homelessness.

As the signs say, parking is off-limits on the parade route – California from SW Lander to SW Edmunds – plus side streets used for staging, starting at 7 am, so get your car moved by then, because tow trucks have their own pre-parade of sorts. Otherwise, just set up a spot somewhere on the route and enjoy the parade. (If you’re not settled on a spot, as we mentioned last night, West Seattle Realty [2715 California SW; WSB sponsor] invites you to their parade-viewing party, out front of the office, treats and restroom access!) The parade, celebrating its 90th year, starts from California/Lander at 11 am and usually ends by ~1:30 at the south end of the route, but this is the biggest one in years, and there are always variables along the way, so that’s just an estimate.

Tonight, they presented a free concert … Saturday, the Admiral Neighborhood Association will be in the 90th-anniversary West Seattle Grand Parade! Neighborhood and community groups, nonprofits, and schools are always part of the lineup (more than 80 entries this year). Among those you’ll be able to cheer for as they roll and/or stroll down the road: Service clubs West Seattle Rotary (whose Service Foundation presents the parade) and West Seattle Lions; nonprofits and community organizations including the West Seattle Food Bank‘s Clothesline, the Center For Active Living (formerly the Senior Center), A Cleaner Alki, the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor), and the American Red Cross; and school groups including Westside School (WSB sponsor), Holy Rosary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hope Lutheran, and cheer teams from Chief Sealth International, West Seattle, and Kennedy Catholic High Schools. Again, that’s just a sampling of what you’ll see! Other parade notes:

The no-parking signs are out – so remember, whether you’re watching the parade – or participating – or not, remember California will close from south of Admiral Way to just south of The Junction, and parking restrictions will be in effect too (signs are up for 7 am through 3 pm). The Saturday morning fun starts with the Float Dodger 5K on the parade route at 9:30 am (you still have time to register to participate); the parade rolls out onto California SW from SW Lander (north side of Hiawatha) at 11 am and heads south to Edmunds. Announcing stands are at California/Alaska with Brian and Christa Callanan and at California/Charlestown with the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle. Stand by for one more preview tomorrow, then we’ll see you out on the route Saturday! (Our previous previews are here, here, here, and here.)

P.S. Haven’t decided on a place to watch the parade? West Seattle Realty (WSB sponsor) invites you to their parade-viewing party, out front of their office in the Admiral Station building (2715 California SW) near the start of the parade route. WSR’s Kevin Broveleit says everyone’s welcome to sit with them: “Lots of treats, a great location and nice bathrooms.”

Time for another preview of Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade – this one’s for marching-band fans!

(WSB file photos)

ALL-CITY MARCHING BAND: The marching musicians of this beloved band are from throughout Seattle Public Schools (which is why you don’t see individual SPS schools’ bands in summer parades), led by Dr. Marcus Pimpleton. Last year, West Seattle Grand Parade judges chose them as Grand Prize winners.

KENNEDY CATHOLIC HS BAND: Again this year, the band from Burien – ever distinctive in their classic uniforms – will visit to participate in the Grand Parade.

SUMNER HS MARCHING BAND: This will be the Pierce County school’s first appearance in the West Seattle Grand Parade since 2019. Their town may not be big, but the band is – more than 100 members!

DRUMLINES: Also in the category of marching musicians, watch for drumlines – the All-Star Drumline, plus – accompanying drill teams – Anointed to Praise, Epitome Family Entertainment, and Dolls & Gents.

Two more previews to come before parade day! (The ones we’ve already published are here, here, and here.) The basics – the Grand Parade heads southbound on California SW from Lander to Edmunds starting at 11 am Saturday (July 20) – announcing stands will be at California/Alaska and California/Charlestown, if you want to hear about who you’re seeing. The parade is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year; it’s a community celebration presented by the Rotary Club of West Seattle Service Foundation, in collaboration with volunteers, donors, sponsors, participants, and spectators!

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

This Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade is not only a celebration of the parade’s 90th anniversary, but will be the biggest parade in years, with more than 80 entries.

We sat in on the pre-parade lineup review last night, led by parade coordinator Michelle Edwards, for a sneak peek at what you’ll see. Today, we’re previewing some of the new participants! But first, a few of the basics:

-The route is the same – the parade is scheduled to start from California/Lander in The Admiral District at 11 am, proceeding southbound to California/Edmunds in The Junction. (Staging includes some side streets so watch for no-parking signs and heed them.)

-The main parade announcing stand is at California/Alaska, with Brian Callanan and Christa Callanan, Again this year, there also will be an auxiliary announcing stand at California/Charlestown, with members of the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle

-As we’ve already reported, the Grand Marshals are the players and coaches of West Seattle High School‘s state-championship-winning baseball team, and the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community winners are Bianca Thomka and Neil Duncan.

Here are five of the new participants:

DUWAMISH TRIBE: Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen is expected to be at California/Alaska shortly after 11 to give a blessing before the parade arrives in The Junction

SAYAW FILIPINO FOLK DANCE TROUPE: A “student-based” group

COMERFORD SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCE: As seen at West Seattle Summer Fest!

ORCA NETWORK PARADE POD: An entry in honor of the whales whose waters we share

WEST SEATTLE MRS. ROPERS: An entry with a sense of humor and 1970s TV roots (as seen in a pub crawl last year)

We’re working on daily previews for the rest of the week. Other parade entries include the Seafair Pirates and Clowns, marching bands, specialty vehicles, schools, businesses, nonprofits, youth groups from Scouting to sports, among others. And all that doesn’t just happen spontaneously – coordinator Michelle has worked hard on outreach; every year there are other areas of the region having parades on the same summer Saturday, so there’s something of a competition for entries. (This year it’s Des Moines.) Michelle is second-generation parade coordinator; her dad Jim Edwards, coordinator emeritus, works on logistics, especially the 13 amateur-radio operators in communication along the route, while her mom Barbara Edwards has long coordinated the judging. The parade is presented by the Rotary Club of West Seattle Service Foundation, represented at last night’s lineup review by Keith Hughes (who runs the building where it happened – home to the Westside Neighbors’ Shelter, American Legion Post 160, and the West Seattle Veteran Center).

It’s all powered by volunteers, sponsors, and donations – plus, spectators: If you can, show up on the sidelines along California on Saturday and cheer, to help make sure all that hard work producing a parade (something most neighborhoods in the city don’t have) is worthwhile!

Among our visitors at the West Seattle Summer Fest Info Booth today – Seafair Clowns, perhaps doing a little scouting for next Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade. At 11 am on July 20, the parade starts rolling south on California SW from SW Lander in Admiral to SW Edmunds in The Junction. Come early and watch the Float Dodger 5K along the parade route starting at 9:30 (or better yet, run/walk in it). The clowns are among dozens of groups, organizations, schools, and others that you’ll see in the parade, celebrating its 90th anniversary this year! As we’ve reported, the state championship-winning West Seattle High School baseball team will be grand marshals, and the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community – another honor that gets you a ride toward the start of the parade – goes this year to Bianca Thomka and Neil Duncan. We’ll have more parade previews in the week ahead.