by Ralph Nichols

If you live in Des Moines or a neighboring community, and if you love a parade, then you can look forward with eager anticipation to the “biggest and best parade ever” in this Waterland city.

Next year.

There will be no Waterland Grand Parade in Des Moines in 2010, City Councilwoman Carmen Scott informed her fellow council members at their Feb. 11 meeting.

Scott said while members of the ad-hoc Waterland Parade Committee were encouraged by the Waterland Blog’s online poll, in which 76 percent of those responding said “yes” or “maybe” to continuing the parade, they also agreed that “this year is not the year.”

The committee “discussed the practicalities of whether a parade could or should happen this summer,” she said. Factors influencing their decision not to proceed with a 2010 parade included “the city’s financial condition” and scheduled construction projects around town.

They decided instead to stage a parade that will be “better than ever” in 2011, she added.

Mayor Bob Sheckler concurred. “I pressed hard for a parade this year, but Carmen is right. This is not the best year. It’s probably wise not to do it this year. So we’ll spend a year and a half planning a parade for next year, not this year.”

A grand parade was a major attraction of the annual Waterland Festival in Des Moines, but the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, which produced this event, disbanded in the wake of the 2004 festival.

After a four-year absence, the Waterland Parade, again preceded by a children’s parade, returned last July as part of the festivities celebrating Des Moines’ 50th anniversary as a city.

Last fall, Sheckler said there would be a parade again this year, but left a final decision to the parade committee.

With the City Council making sharp cuts in Des Moines’ operating budget for a second consecutive year, “we are hard pressed for funds,” Scott noted.

Although City Manager Tony Piasecki told committee members there are ways a parade could be put on without costing the city additional money, Scott said the reality of budget cutbacks has left no staff members the time flexibility to handle the additional work that would be involved.

So over the next year, planning for the 2011 Waterland Parade will include looking for private money to sponsor it, she continued.

And planning will also involve businesses along the Marine View Drive parade route so they can attract more customers that day, rather than losing business to events at other locations.

The construction projects that also make a parade impractical this year – upgrades to several streets used for the parade and staging, and the ongoing Marina renovation – “are building for the future,” Scott told The Waterland Blog.

“It’s going to sparkle when we have the parade next year. The city is doing it right.”

(Parade Photos courtesy Carmen Scott)

Good things are happening in Des Moines!! Good people are doing them!!

I say this as a reminder that all news is not bad!! We have problems, certainly, but we also have plenty to feel good about. We have people that care about this town. This is a fantastic jumping off point for constructive dialogue about what type of town we want to live in, as so many issues hang in the air. Budget problems, economic development questions and even a parade, seem to stir strong feelings. This is great!! It demonstrates that people are thinking about this town. I applaud ANY strong opinion, even if I can’t stand that opinion. If it comes from a place of concern for Des Moines, I am grateful and I thank people for caring.

With that in mind, the recent war of words regarding a parade has inspired me to throw my own opinion into the hat. The parade “debate” speaks to where we place value. It represents what kind of town we want to live in. It is about more than money, as plenty of people would do it and have done it for free, maybe not the police, but certainly many others. A parade and other events are about reconstructing a livable city. Des Moines has become so lame, it truly borders on unlivable. Those words break my heart, as I am a child of this town and love it more than anyone I know. Des Moines needs fun stuff to do. This need is not a superficial, fickle, immediate-gratification-regardless-of-consequence type of desire. Events foster a sense of community and belonging to something that connects people. It connects residents to local businesses and neighbors to one another. More than anytime I can recall, in the forty years I have lived here, Des Moines needs to get connected. These connections matter. These connections are connected to quality of life. A town without these vital connections and a high quality of life is a town people don’t want to live in. The beautiful thing is that we can manifest and determine our quality of life by engaging with each other having some fun. This is great. It is a cause for hope that a genuine win/win is possible! As the folks lined the streets last summer, I was reminded of what Des Moines can be, a true community, a place where people can come together and enjoy this town and feel proud to be a part of it.

Value is here.

On a warm day in July, I watched my five-year old daughter walk the parade dressed up as an eggplant, following the Farmer’s Market entry. My wife was an apple and my ten-year old son carried a pitchfork, frankly unnerving me a little bit. The memory of this day is priceless. It is priceless to me and it is priceless to my kids and many other kids and parents and residents that set-up their chairs early to sit in the summer sun and watch our parade. This has value. It is real. It is tangible and it matters. I can think of nothing this town needs more than opportunities for people to get together and feel good about living here.
There are problems in this town. There is no money. This is understood and undeniable. What we do have is interested, passionate people with big hearts and creative minds willing to set to task making good things happen. This has value, as well. A town with a strong service base and folks that can and will support events that create a sense of community is a good investment. A town that people want to live in is a good investment for OPM. We need it.

Recognizing, promoting, encouraging and prioritizing this as a part of any economic development plan is vital to shaping Des Moines future. It is not all about the feely-goody. Fun and feeling good about Des Moines is good business!!

I am including a letter I e-mailed around a few months prior to last year’s Anniversary celebration. It created some buzz and stirred opinions and seems timely given the current debate. I named it, ironically, the “Waterland Manifesto”. The irony exists in taking fun very seriously and the value in making great memories for ourselves and our kids. We need to do more of that in our terrific little water town.

My Waterland Manifesto by Dave Markwell

"Am I the only one that misses the Waterland Festival?" - Dave Markwell

I’ve been very conflicted recently with my own feelings of allegiance to the Waterland festival and my involvement in and support of the current events scheduled for the citizens of Des Moines. I struggle with whether or not I might be an anomaly. Am I the only one that misses the Waterland Festival? Am I clinging to the past and not giving the future a fair shot? Am I really not as progressive as I think by continuing to pine for the Waterland week?

Growing up as a kid in Des Moines, I looked forward to two weeks out of the year, Christmas and Waterland. Waterland was the highlight and exclamation point on every summer that I can recall. From sitting on my dad’s shoulders watching the parade, to spending the night on my uncle’s boat on L dock all five Waterland nights, to the first time I rode my bike to Waterland with my buddies and no parents, to “accidentally” getting to second base on the Skydiver in the eighth grade, to the annual reunion of high school friends who invariably would show up on Friday night, to being both the first and last person in the beer garden on the same day (once), to setting up, tearing down, guarding the gate, picking up garbage, being a vendor, sponsor and parent of kids enjoying the same things I did, my memories and experiences are not just Waterland memories. They are my life’s memories. They are the best thing there is. I am not the only one that has these memories. Anyone growing up in Des Moines has their own vault of great Waterland days. It is a collective joy shared. From Wednesday fireworks, to Thursday kid’s day, to the funny boat race, arts and crafts, B & E Tri-tip, Lions Club corn on the cob, barbershop quartet to old time rock and roll and the Seafair pirate ship cannon blast during the parade, Waterland had something for everyone. The cool, salty breeze on a hot summer evening mixing with the whistles and screams of the games and rides made it perfect. It defined community event. It was of, by and for Des Moines located in the heart and soul of Des Moines, the marina. The Waterland Festival was not perfect, but it was ours. It was something that residents of Des Moines could be a part of and enjoy. People were there as families. Local businesses were set up and people met one another and friends were made, some lifelong.

It was a showcase of the best Des Moines had to offer. People came and saw and had fun. In a landslide, the good times far outweighed the bad.

Granted, the last few Waterlands were shaky. Organization, security and accountability were issues as were money and politics. However, I hold that the good experiences still triumphed over the negative by far. My question now is why can’t it be great again? Des Moines is at the cusp of a fantastic renaissance with new restaurants and businesses cropping up, as well as new families moving in. How could Waterland be bad? It is a huge event with opportunities for every business, community group or interested person to get involved. It provides the best venue around to highlight and truly showcase all that Des Moines has to offer. With the 50 year anniversary coming up, there is not a better event to celebrate the occasion. Waterland represents the good things in Des Moines history and could really help define and highlight its hopes for the future. I believe that the combination of the new, enthusiastic and engaged citizens with the tried and true veterans of Waterlands past could create magic. We know where the problems were. How can we fix them? Solutions exist.

Many creative, talented minds also exist in this town. It is time to revisit Waterland and explore the potential. It is real and it is great and totally consistent with what every person who lives here, works in, or serves this town wants. Knowing what the problems were allows a great chance for some changes to help mitigate the issues. Having a couple years break allows an opportunity to reshape the event in ways that will make it something everyone will be proud to get involved with. It can be done. More memories of kids sitting on their dad’s shoulders watching a parade in their hometown are just waiting to be made, hopefully by my kids.

Thanks for indulging my thoughts and I hope to see you at the next parade as the Pete’s Towing truck train marks the grand finale. It’s about the coolest thing there is.

–Dave Markwell

by Brenda Anders

It is that time of year again – time to start planning for our community summer events.

As you may or may not know, the current economic situation and major construction projects within the city of Des Moines have dictated that many events be cancelled this year, including:

• Classic Car and Wooden Boat Show
• Italian Concourse Car Show
• Waterland 5k Run
• Waterland 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

The good news is that there will still be many fun things to do in Des Moines this summer. There are many groups busily planning events for you and your families to enjoy, including:

• Fireworks over Des Moines! Brooks Powell / Powell Homes is dedicated to making this event happen and is seeking additional funds to privately cover the costs of city staffing needs
• The Des Moines Farmers Market, every Saturday (June 5-October 30), south end of the marina
• Waterland Music Series, dates and times TBD, Des Moines Arts Commission
• Des Moines Parks and Recreation’s Camp Khaos (Kids Having An Outrageous Summer), new location due to construction, Des Moines Field House Historic grandstand and ball field rededication, Des Moines Field House
• Missoula Children’s Theater, July
• Trash to Treasure (swap meet style), August, hosted by Des Moines Senior Activity Center

The Waterland Parade has NOT been officially cancelled. Yet.

There is a group of people, led by Anna Bjorneby, dedicated to making it happen with help from donations and private funding. The question is this:

Will residents and the business community support a parade?

Council Member Carmen Scott had this to say:

“This information is needed quickly by the people who would be putting on the parade in order to secure support and entrants. It is important to know if the parade is important to our residents. What does it mean to them? Parades require a level of staff support from the city. Your comments and response to the blog poll and/or email to council@desmoineswa.gov will give council members a good update on what importance the Waterland Parade has to our community.”

Here is where you can help. Parade planners and city council members need to know where the community stands on this. Due to time constraints, this is perhaps your only opportunity to be heard regarding a 2010 Waterland parade.

Please vote using our non-scientific Poll below this story, or on the sidebar. Feel free to also share your thoughts about the parade and what it means to you, your family and traditions by leaving a Comment below:

[2009 Waterland Parade Photo by Gene Achziger; buggy photo courtesy Des Moines Historical Society; 2009 Photo courtesy Carmen Scott]

by Janet Grella

Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler chose the occasion of the parade volunteers’ party at Bj and Anna Bjorneby’s house on Saturday night to announce that he is “100% committed to a parade next year in Des Moines.”

Sheckler went on to ask the parade chairperson (50th Birthday Parade plus other assorted Waterland Parades) to head the effort.

Anna Bjorneby accepted without hesitation.

Both announcements were greeted with rounds of applause from the 40 or so volunteers, friends and family in attendance.

“Now we just have to decide what to call it,” said Sheckler. Anna suggested the “Anna Bjorneby parade,” while the mayor was fixed on calling it the Waterland Parade. “Whatever we call it, it will be great with Anna in charge” quipped our mayor.

Mayor Sheckler added that the 2010 parade will have to go in front of the city council for a vote when the budget planning for 2010 starts in September of this year. This news of a council vote will not stop Anna and her hard working volunteers, who also plan to start planning next year’s parade next month.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Waterland Blog Sales Diva and sometimes reporter Janet Grella was a guest of the Bjorneby's on Saturday night. She attended as a guest, not a reporter, but found this news just too good for our readers to pass up.]

PHOTO CREDIT: Carmen Scott

Click to View Carmen Scott’s Photo Slideshow

by Pat Nardo

It’s true – without a doubt and intolerably accurate, is the age old adage of Murphy!

Now it has to be pondered, did Murphy ever really exist and was he endowed with a wisdom that, to this day, can be seen in any event planned by man? Murphy’s Law is pretty simple and straightforward:

“If something can go wrong, it will.”

Murphy be damned; full parade ahead!

Our 50th Birthday Parade, commemorating that many years since Des Moines became a city, was not exempt from the Law of Murphy, it seems. We got off to a late start and, as luck would have it, some of the units scheduled to appear in the parade, did not. Our good friend and script writer, Earline Byers, was able to overcome another obstacle of units appearing out of the anticipated order that she had listed. Even with this handicap, Earline bravely and accurately fed our announcer the best information she had as each element came marching or riding past the reviewing stand. Quick action on the part of Steve Geogebeur, our announcer, allowed his reporting to go on as if there was not a hitch. His smooth delivery made the parade even more attractive to the crowd down Marine View Drive.

In a normal parade sequence, each unit is expected to halt before the reviewing stand, perform for some 45 seconds and move on to make room for the successor. This happened, only due to experience of seasoned paradees, about four times. Judging, while the parade took on an accelerated pace, was impeded and not much time could be allocated to evaluate all of the criteria for each unit. Still the judges worked feverishly and swiftly to apply scores as fairly as time permitted. At parade ending there was a short period dedicated to a “huddle” and some adjustments to awards and scores. It was not an easy task because there were so many worthy entries and we only had 24 trophies to present to winners.

Now, to the parade itself; a success in any way you could look at it! Anna and BJ Bjorneby, along with Fran Woodard, caused this whole 50th Birthday celebration to be a spectacular event that will live on in memory of the many residents who witnessed it for many years. They and a handful of volunteers caused an eruption of civic pride and, sadly, there is no trophy or award for them other than our thanks for a job well done.

Murphy’s ugly head, much like the mythical dragon of old was met by Anna and BJ Bjorneby with swords drawn and hearts and wallets open. Our city did not have sufficient funds to run a parade, though t hey wanted to. Give our city credit though, they provided us with the best security and traffic control available anywhere. Thank you, Chief Roger Baker! So it was to be that a group of volunteers and dollars made it happen. We gave of time, money and other resources to honor a birthday worthy of our homage.

To avoid the unhappiness that comes with being “second place’, “runner up”, etc; we devised an all encompassing phrase without gradients. It was: “PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD” and was engraved, proudly on each of our 24 trophies. Who are the winners? To be truthful, we thought all in the parade should have gotten a trophy but reality played its hand and we did choose the following units for the trophies, well earned:

• Kennedy High School Band
• West Seattle Hi Yu
• Seattle Seafair Pirates
• Best in Show Pet Salon
• Seattle Lutheran High School
• Kent Cornucopia Days
• Evergreen H/S Lutheran
• Sumner H/S Band
• Life Savers at Mt. Rainier
• Super Steppers
• Seafair Clowns
• Peruvian Community
• Judson Park Pirates
• Des Moines Lions Club
• Pete’s Towing Service
• Harold Hancock (Antique Car)
• Des Moines Farmer’s Market
• Keystone Kops
• Melanie’s Dance Unlimited
• Ron Kinney (Antique Car)
• Des Moines Masonic Lodge
• Elbert Hill (Horse drawn wagon without rider)
• Highline School District
• Friend to Friend

The parade ended and we were all tired and happy to see and share the joy of the crowd. On my way out of the reviewing stand, my judging tour of duty over, I looked up and down Marine View Drive and guess what?

I saw no sign of Murphy!

by Janet Grella

As most people know, this Saturday (July 18th) will be the “big” birthday day for Des Moines, with celebrations from morning to night, culminating in The Waterland Parade (a sanctioned Seafair event), but not without an immense amount of work on the part of a group of very hardworking volunteers.

I was pleased to join their last meeting on July 15th as they efficiently and effectively tied up all loose ends.

The committee is chaired by Waterland Parade vetern Anna Bjorneby and co-chaired by a very capable Fran Woodward. Other volunteer committee members include BJ Bjorneby, Lila Thomsen, Donna Hake, KB Beisle, Jerry & Cathy Reese, Pat Nardo, Jack Kniskern, Joel Girouard and Joe Spears.

DECORATING DES MOINES:
While most of us are enjoying our day at the Marina with all the birthday activities and the Farmers Market, Joel Giroudard and his band of merry balloon artists will be creating magical balloon arches and decorating the reviewing stand, located on Marine View Drive across from EC Computers.

STAGING:
Parade participants should gather at the main parking lot at Highline Community College off 240th at 4pm. There will be signage and balloons directing participants to the staging area. Staging experts from the Seafair Marshalls as well as Lila Thomsen and her group of local volunteers will help assemble the parade participants for their trek down 240th to Marine View Drive!

KIDS PARADE:
The parade will start with the Junior Parade at 5:30. Anybody under the age of 14 can join the fun! There is no pre-registration for this event. Participants should meet in front of Vickie Bergquitst’s State Farm Insurance office at 230th and Marine View Drive at 4:30. (Behind Taco Time). The ‘Red Robin’ from Red Robin’s restaurant will be leading the Junior Parade down Marine View Drive.

PARADE AGAINST HUNGER:
The Des Moines Food Bank will follow them, collecting much needed food and money starting at 240th at 5:45 pm. Bring your non-perishible food for them to collect.

THE WATERLAND PARADE:
The big 50th B-day parade will start promptly at 6pm. This year there are 63 entries and over 600 participants. Among the VIPs and participants will be the Seafair Pirates–batten down your hatches when they appear. Miss Seafair and the Seafair Princesses, and the Award winning surprise float built by Jerry and Cathy Resse (it won the “Best Float” in Kent’s Cornucopia Parade just last weekend). Plus you’ll see the staff of Waterland Blog live blogging and taking pictures of the crowd from their perch atop an Airport Towing tow truck. They’ll be three marching bands from Mt. Rainier, Kennedy and Sumner High Schools.

There are over 50 volunteers that will make sure this Waterland Parade go off without a hitch. From the VIP reception at Landmark on the Sound, to the volunteer “Pooper Scoopers” for the horse drawn carriage, Des Moines and its volunteer community has come together to culminate in a spectacular 50th Birthday celebration.

And a word of advice from the chairman of the Parade Committee – “If someone tells you to do something – listen to the police!”

And a final word for participants…plan a way back to the college, as the parade ends at city hall.

Our readers need to reach out to the volunteers who started this parade proccess in January of this year and thank them for a ‘job well-done.’

Sponsors of the parade should also be thanked:

• Bjorneby’s CARSTAR (a WLB Advertiser!)
• Hertz Rental Car
• Pete’s Towing
• Emerald City Balloon

[EDITOR'S NOTE: To see Photos from the 2009 50th Birthday/Waterland Parade, click here. To read our firsthand account and see photos of what it was like for us to be in the parade (then hang out with the Seafair Pirates, click here.]

by Pat Nardo

Somewhere there is someone that does not love a parade or flock to enjoy the magnificent array of people, floats and band music.

Well, thank goodness that person does not live in Des Moines!

As we are in the last lap of your parade preparations, there is an almost surprising number of applicants, thanks to our “Dear Leader” Anna Bjorneby and her Advisor Fran Woodard, we have now recruited an army of pleasure for an unforgettable 5oth anniversary parade.

The latest estimate from Anna is about 1,000 people will be in our parade and we are half way there already.

Now, we all know the difference between a cake and a parade, right? They do have in common a need for an array of necessary ingredients. So it is with our parade and just to begin with, there will be two antique autos, four marching bands, three commercial entries, two local businesses, five community groups, mostly non-profit, and more. Look for a yesteryear’s horse drawn wagon to appear from out of a page of history, along with a “spare.” From our latest information, there will be three or more floats along with a couple of new ones not seen before. Our friends from Highline Water District will play a part in your parade this year with a mascot who is a teacher of sorts. Getting away from the serious side, look for our favorites, the Seafair Clowns, Seafair Pirates, and of course, The Keystone Cops with their theme, “Cops are good guys too!”

The usual “deadline” for a parade application and acceptance is waived and you may still join us right up to the last day, so see if you can overwhelm us with your overpowering desire to be seen, heard and loved by Des Moines. It is also true that we could use a few more volunteers.

Small businesses in Des Moines are rarely able to supply any presence away from their business so a hearty welcome is earned by “The Waterland Blog”. “Best in Show Pet Salon”, and “Des Moines Dog House”. You can say “thank you” to these business people by spreading the word on www.waterlandblog.com, take Pierre or Fido to the Pet Salon, and then stop for a gourmet hot dog at the Dog House. Okay, you may share the dog with your dog! They have outside seating.

As we have all been told, “All good things must end”. Your parade is not an exception to this ancient advisory. Your parade, Des Moines, will have a spectacular ending!

Stay tuned. Oh, and while you are waiting, look up the word juggernaut.

EDITOR’S NOTE: To see photos from Des Moines’ 50th Birthday & Waterland Parade (on 7/18/09), click here. To read our firsthand account of being in the parade, then hanging out with the Seafair Pirates, click here.]

HELP WANTED: Pooper Scoopers.

Yes…Pooper Scoopers.

For the big July 18th Waterland 50th Birthday Parade.

This job doesn’t pay, but man, talk about a glamorous gig, huh?

Besides volunteers and more participants, BJ and Anna Bjorneby announced at this week’s parade meeting that someone has entered a horse and buggy into the parade and they need two volunteers to follow the horse, and well scoop the poop.

Interested parties should scoop up the phone and call Anna at 206-575-5568.

That being said, let it be known that your intrepid parade committee needs other volunteers for less messy jobs, like check-in, cars and signage, VIP reception and others.

Still thinking of entering, but haven’t gotten around to it? Well, you have a few more weeks, as the deadline for entry has been extended. Although the earlier you enter the better your placement, they’ll accept applications until a few days before the parade.

Call Anna or Fran Woodward at 253-303-1098 to volunteer or enter.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: To see Photos from the 2009 50th Birthday/Waterland Parade, click here. To read our firsthand account and see photos of what it was like for us to be in the parade (then hang out with the Seafair Pirates, click here.]

by Pat Nardo

The best laid plans of mice and…Murphy’s Law.

Your parade, Des Moines, has progressed to a level of substance with a flow of applications, invitations and additional support and help from in and out of the community. No matter how well intentioned or how good the scheduling of events may be, things can and ultimately will go wrong. We are working to avoid “glitches” along the way and anticipate changes to content and timing for this enormous task.

We don’t have a movie-like ability to predict “coming attractions” but it would be nice to be able to share our excitement with our friends and spectators as to what to expect on July 18th. The 50th anniversary of the Des Moines Parade will have many elements. At the beginning and to open this event, we will have the Junior Parade, followed immediately by the now famous, Rainier High School Band. They have always been a treasured part of our parades back in Waterland days and this year will be no exception. Our parade directors, Anna and BJ Bjorneby, will follow behind The Rainier Band in a shiny white Mercedes and should draw a well-earned applause from those of you who know these valued members of our Des Moines. They have and continue to give both of their time and, yes, money to this event.

The Junior Parade element will be “on the march” at 5:30pm under the watchful eyes of Dave and Jeanie Markwell, who also have invested much of their time to cultivating these young community leaders to develop into the solid citizens that they will become. Our route begins at 227th and Marine View Drive and, as in the past, will end at 216th. You can expect to see our Mayor, Bob Sheckler, some council members and other honorees. Watch for the Seafair Pirates, a hydro escorted by Seafair Commodores along with the Seafair Clowns to lighten your spirits. Many of our VIPs will be appearing in vintage or classic cars and there will also be a few cars interspersed within the parade as well.

Early on in our parade, you will see the food bank volunteers and you are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item; little to ask for such a grand parade and worthy cause.

Alan Secord, in charge of the Seafair Marshals, will see to it that all runs smoothly from beginning to end and we thank him for his time and value his efforts as a selfless volunteer. This applies to all of our Seafair personnel, for whom we are profoundly grateful.

At this writing, it is planned to have our reviewing stand near the Bill’s Barber Shop and it will be decorated by the Emerald City Balloon Company. In addition, an archway of balloons is planned as an entry way for the parade participants. Much has been said about the parade here, its beginning and passage, but what about the ending?

Now I sit back and think…”If anything can go wrong?”

Not if we can help it!

EDITOR’S NOTE: To see photos from Des Moines’ 50th Birthday & Waterland Parade (on 7/18/09), click here. To read our firsthand account of being in the parade, then hanging out with the Seafair Pirates, click here.]

by Janet Grella

It’s official – Des Moines’ Waterland Parade has become a Seafair Sanctioned Community Event!

This means that the Seafair Marshals will be on hand to help with the organization of the parade. It also means parade favorites the Seafair Pirates, the Seafair Clowns and the Keystone Cops will be in our very own Waterland Parade, which will be held Saturday, July 18th.

It will start with a Junior Parade at 5:30pm, where kids 14 and under can participate. They will be followed by a truck from the Des Moines Food Bank to collect food donations.

The Grand Parade will start promptly at 6pm with floats, drill teams and bands. Local businesses and organizations are encouraged to participate.

The parade is part of a summer of outdoor fun scheduled by the city to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Des Moines. And who better to run the parade than parade veterans Anna and BJ Bjorneby. Anna was the parade organizer three times in the 80s.

As co-chairs along with “volunteer extraordinaire” Fran Woodward, Anna and BJ are now seeking sponsors at any level, as well as volunteers and participants.

Interested in joining the fun? Call Anna at 206-571-5568 or 824-1400; or Fran at 253-303-1098.

The Waterland Blog will be participating in this event that is uniquely part of the the Waterland Community. We’re working on exactly what we plan to do in the parade, so if you have any ideas on what grown men and women and our young intern can do to amuse the crowd click here.

We encourage everyone to participate through sponsorship, volunteering or joining the parade!