Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Arnie Wishnick spent the week before the Fourth of July parade answering callers, most of whom wanted to know if the parade would actually take place on a Sunday. So when he got a call from a new resident asking if there was anything happening on the Fourth and where she could go to see it, he was refreshingly amused. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘where do you live?’ ‘On Toyopa,’ she answered. ‘I don’t think you’ll have to go anywhere,’ Arnie said. ‘Just open your curtains about 8:30 in the morning and you’ll see about 3,000 runners streak by, and then about 3, you’ll see marching bands, twirling batons and pups on parade.’ ‘What a great town I live in,’ she marveled’an exclamation that punctuates attitudes about the parade all along the route, from newcomers and veteran flagwavers alike. This ebullience is the result of an easy formula. It’s the beat. The beat of the drums, whether from military cadets, Highlanders or bands, sets the pace for all the parade participants as they make their way from Via de la Paz to the Palisades Recreation Center. The beat activates the flag teams, the dogwalkers and provides a flourish for the politicians and organization leaders as they are introduced along the way. This year there were 21 musical groups including six drum-and-bugle teams. We all love to sing along with the patriotic brass, but these drum-and-bugle teams, which customarily focus on field shows, brought a style of marching and stance that is quite different from the traditional marching bands. Decidedly not Sousa, these instrumentalists favor a jazzy contemporary sound choreographed with twirling, hurling banner stunts. ” When the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps, dressed in their purple Samurai visors and flanked by a flag team draped in shades of saffron and moss green, stopped to catch their breath, the crowd shouted for more music and banner gymnastics. For the parade watchers, the music is a big part of the party. Indeed, Omar and Mildred Salmassy received an extra special serenade for their 50th anniversary, which they were celebrating on the lawn in front of their house on Toyopa. One band broke off from the route, crowded onto their grass and executed a riotous drum salute for the couple, who have lived in the Palisades since 1967. The ranks of our own local Oom PaPa Band swelled this year to a record size. Thirty-one musicians plus marchers and flag bearers brought the total to 50. Once again, this was a family affair, with fathers and sons playing together and longtime children-turned adults like Martin Hudson participating. Hudson has been playing trombone in the band since high school and is now married with children. Tasha Wenger-Bialer didn’t miss the gig, her 7th, despite having baby Boris just two months ago. She taught herself to play the alto sax and participates in other bands around L.A. Spoiled by the constant beat, we only regret the dry spells that occurred throughout the parade. Coordinating and maneuvering large bands is a strategic challenge. We understand this, but recommend that next year the musical groups be staggered evenly throughout the lineup. The bagpipers, for instance, were bunched together at the start of the parade, and just when you wanted music to help entertain you when the parade came to a halt, there was none. With all the red, white and blue outfits and the colorful music, the parade reached a high mark Sunday afternoon, and now we have 51 weeks to think about next year’s parade and how we can make it even better.
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