Patriots Day Parade on the march

After weathering a legal onslaught that nearly scuttled it, Laguna’s 40th Annual Patriots Day Parade has marching orders for 11 a.m. this Saturday ? barring rain.

This year’s theme is “America -- Still United.”

Police Chief Mike Sellers told the City Council on Tuesday that precautions have been taken to ensure a smooth parade run.

The Minuteman Project activist group has agreed to call off plans to protest the annual march ? after a judge ruled parade organizers had the right to reject them from the parade lineup.

“We are in excellent shape,” Sellers told the council. “We expect no problems. We have been in contact, as recently as [Monday] with representatives of the Minuteman group and have been assured they will not be participating.

“We have added extra staff,” Sellers added. “And we have mutual-aid agreement with neighboring agencies ready to assist us.”

The parade begins at 11 a.m. on Park Avenue at the high school, and continues to Glenneyre Street, then right on Forest Avenue, past City Hall.

Streets on the parade route will close about 9 a.m. Also closed will be Legion Street, where the horses are stationed before the parade, and Ocean Avenue from Forest Avenue to Beach Street, where horse trailers and parade-related vehicles park. (See page 3 for complete road closure listing.)

Parade organizers expect the event to be the community-minded good time it has always been, and there will be some firsts in this year’s lineup.

A total of 97 entries are slotted, with the newer names placed toward the end, said parade organizer, Sandi Werthe, adding that some of the children will be marching twice as they run from one activity to the next.

This year’s grand marshal will be Orange County Register columnist Gordon Dillow, who forged a reputation as an embedded reporter with the troops in Iraq.

Charles Quilter II said Dillow should be honored for being an exceptional columnist and also for making people aware of our humanity.

Dillow, honored to be asked to be grand marshal, was humbled as he joked of a shortage of grand marshals in Orange County, and also as he spoke highly of the soldiers he covered as a reporter.

“You’re able to see exactly what they’re going through, and not have it filtered through a brief you read somewhere,” Dillow said of his experience in Iraq.

Dillow, a Seal Beach native, has marched before in Veteran’s Day parades having served in the Army in Vietnam.

This year’s Patriot of the Year honor was awarded to Walter Rening, a Navy corpsman in World War II and a retired captain with the Laguna fire department.

Rening served in the Pacific theater, where he earned a Navy Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

The Citizen of the Year honor goes to the late Cosma “Cossie” Mechling, who died this past December.

Mechling is said by Quilter to be a true Laguna original for her diverse career and civic activities, achieving success in photography, fashion and design, acting and directing. “She was such a vibrant part of the fabric of Laguna Beach for 70 years,” Quilter said.

Junior Citizen of the Year Awards go to Robert Knapp and Hillary Greene for their academic and extracurricular achievements.

A mounted color guard and Marine band from the former El Torro air base will celebrate Laguna’s longtime connections to the Marine Corps.

The Marine band, coming in from the air station in Mirimar, will be at half capacity due to members currently stationed in Iraq.

American Legion Post 222 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars will march together.

Retired Marine Sargent Major Jim Law will be marching with them, and remembers what the parade was like in its earliest days.

“It’s more of a community parade now, it used to be more about patriots,” Law said.

The last entry in the parade’s lineup is one many people claim to like the best.

The Chocolate Lovers of America will be passing out chocolate candies as entry number 97.

The group’s founder, Howard Levin, is also the starter for the parade.

Levin believes his group is selected to go last, not because of his duties as starting other entries into the lineup, but because people wait for the candy.

2006 PARADE LINEUP

Entries in the 40th annual Patriots Day Parade on March 4, in order of appearance:

1. Laguna Beach Motor Escort

2. Parade Banner, Laguna Beach Girl Scouts

3. U.S. Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard

4. 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band, MCAS Miramar

5. Parade President Nina Rietsch

6. Parade Theme Banner, Laguna Beach Boy Scouts

7. Grand Marshal Gordon Dillow

8. American Legion Post 222 & Auxiliary & American Legion/VFW Combined Color Guard

9. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5868

10. Honored Patriot Walter F. Rening

11. Laguna Beach Beautification Council

12. Family & Friends of Citizen of the Year Cossie Mechling

13. Laguna Beach High School Marching Band

14. Laguna Beach High School Alumni Association

15. Laguna Beach Unified School District Board

16. Junior Citizens Hillary Greene & Robert Knapp

17. Los Angeles Scots

18. A.F.S. High School Exchange Students’ Programs

19. Laguna Beach City Council & Officials

20. Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach/Even Start

21. La Playa Center/Orange County Model A Club

22. Miss Linda’s Castle

23. Patience Wright Chapter, Daughters of American

Revolution

24. Exchange Club of Laguna Beach

25. Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce

26. California Regiment of Young Marines

27. Military Vehicle Owners of Orange County

28. South Orange County Vietnam Veterans

29. Laguna Beach Fire Department

30. Laguna News-Post

31. Tivoli Terrace/Tivoli Too

32. Orange County Chapter, Sons of American

Revolution

33. Laguna Beach Little League

34. Laguna Beach Library

35. Excalibur Car Club

36. South Coast YMCA Parent-Child Programs

37. Laguna Beach Police Department

38. No Square Theatre

39. Laguna Beach Unified School District Elementary Band

40. A & D Music

41. Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends (RUFF)

42. Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park

43. Rotary Club of Laguna Beach

44. Assistance League of Laguna Beach

45. Laguna Beach County Water District

46. Oak Avenue Intermediate School Band, Temple City

47. Capistrano Valley Model A Club

48. Soroptimist International of Laguna Beach

49. Volunteer Clowns of Orange County

50. Laguna Beach Independent

51. Laguna! Life & People

52. Laguna Beach Seniors

53. Pacific Marine Mammal Center

54. Hobie Sports

55. Mar Vista Middle School Band, San Diego

56. Laguna Beach Girl Scouts

57. Boy Scout Troop 35/Cub Scout Pack 35

58. Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot

59. South Coast Medical Center

60. Pageant of the Masters

61. John Campbell Insurance

& AIG Private Client Group

62. Laguna Beach Garden Club

63. The Saloon

64. La Rue du Chocolat

65. Bassett High School Band, La Puente

66. Laguna Beach Community Clinic

67. Laguna Beach HIV Advisory Committee

68. Laguna Art Museum

69. Laguna Beach Taxpayers Association

70. Diamond Crestview Neighbors

71. Donnie Crevier

72. First Team Nolan Real Estate 73. Kate’s Book Club

74. American Association of University Women

75. Top of the World/El Morro Elementary School

Honors Chorus

76. Ralphs Supermarkets

77. Waste Management

78. Laguna Laughter Club

79. Ruby’s

80. Challenger Middle School Band, Lancaster

81. Village Laguna

82. United Studios of Self Defense

83. Laguna Beach Peace Vigil

84. Sawdust Festival

85. Baha’is of Laguna Beach

86. Art a Fair

87. Yellow Ribbon America.com

88. Wendy Radin

89. Sageman Drums

90. Gelato Paradiso

91. Doctor’s Ambulance Service

92. Ocean Laguna Foundation Tidewater Docents

93. Blue Water, Green Land & Clean Air

94. PFLAG South Orange County

95. Peter Salomon

96. Cross Creek Cowboys

97. Chocolate Lovers of Americacpt.03-parade-CPhotoInfoP91OHP5420060303id42tmkfDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Jan Shoemaker, left, and Claire Ressler get the crowd going as they ride in the back of Shoemaker’s 1957 Chevy station wagon along the Forest Avenue parade route last year.