‘It couldn't have been nicer': Laguna's Patriots Day Parade returns after rainout

Los Angeles Times

14-03-2025

A large crowd lined the downtown streets of Laguna Beach last weekend, as residents looked for family, friends and neighbors who were participating in the annual Patriots Day Parade.
The community spectacle returned with a lineup of 80 entries after the processional march had to be canceled the previous year due to rain.
Parade organizers found a welcome sight in blue skies on the morning of March 8, as the day luckily threaded the needle between two recent storms.
'It couldn't have been nicer,' said Charlie Quilter, the president of the parade. 'The founding fathers of the parade started this back in 1967. I don't know what they were thinking of, if they didn't realize, maybe, that it was going to be a lasting tradition in Laguna.
'It still puts us in the rainy season, so it's a real crapshoot as to how the weather works out. We've had to cancel a total of three times, as far as I'm aware of, in 58 years.'
As a retired airline pilot, Quilter said following the weather remains an interest of his. The town received heavy rainfall just minutes after the parade would have started in 2024.
'That was a pretty good call last year,' Quilter said.
There are several factors in making that decision, including a downhill trek from Laguna Beach High along Park Avenue. The parade then works its way into the heart of downtown via Glenneyre Street and continues along Forest Avenue toward City Hall.
The inclusion of classic cars and marching bands also factors into the need for dry days, as wet weather could wreak havoc on the aging vehicles and woodwind instruments.
School bands from San Gabriel to Ontario marched in the parade, while Orange County's Villa Park earned top marks as the winner of the band sweepstakes.
Laguna Beach elementary school children also sang patriotic songs for those in attendance, at one point singing a rousing rendition of 'You're a Grand Old Flag.'
Quilter called parade participation a 'rite of passage' for kids in Laguna Beach. The exposure, especially for those in performance roles, provides an opportunity for growth.
'When the kids … learn how to come together for a common purpose — play music, learn how to march and perform confidently in public, that's a big deal for young kids,' Quilter added. 'The parade gives them that opportunity. That's one of the heart-warming aspects.'
The President's Trophy, given to the entry that best exhibits the parade's theme, was awarded to the Laguna Beach County Water District. The theme was 'Laguna Heritage.'
The Grand Marshal's Trophy was given to the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club. A truck decked out with several American flags went by. In the truck bed stood a man in a patriotic costume, a USA cap on his head with stars and stripes on his outfit and the ball in his hand.
It's not uncommon for community members to walk the parade route multiple times within the same parade. Karyn Philippsen, the Citizen of the Year, recalled a year in which she joined the Friends of the Library, then raced up the Third Street hill to walk with the Laguna Playhouse, and again to participate with Laguna Beach Sister Cities.
Philippsen said she 'traveled in style' in a Rolls-Royce as a parade honoree this year.
'The cars have to get there at like 8:30 in the morning because they have to be in position before the people start getting there,' Philippsen said. 'Now that I was behind the scenes and really got to see what [parade entry chairwoman] Sandi Werthe does and all the people on the parade committee, it was just amazing to me to understand all the effort — not just that day but months before — that goes into creating the parade and the beautiful spectacle that we got to see.'
Parade honorees carried over from the year before. Rick Shoemaker served as grand marshal, and Col. Richard Seitz was the honored patriot. Additional recognition included Mike Tauber as the Artist of the Year and Brayden Belden as the Athlete of the Year. The Junior Citizens of the Year were Lili Bazargan and Carter McKinzie.
It was a day that Nick and Jules Capinpin will never forget, as they marched in the parade and then welcomed their first child into the world — a daughter named Chloe — later that evening.
Nick, a driver with Sally's Fund, a nonprofit that provides local transportation and assistive services to seniors and people with disabilities, carried the banner for the entry. Jules, who was a week away from her expected due date, accompanied him.
'My husband wanted me to be with him the whole time, just in case I start having contractions or anything like that, and he would have to take me to the hospital,' Jules said. 'I decided to go. When we got there, I was so excited because when we got to the parking lot, there were all these costumes and people. The energy, it's just amazing to see. It's such a small-town feel. Half [the town] is watching and half are the participants.'
Jules joined several others in putting a car costume around her waist, hers bearing the license plate 'ME DRV U.' Energized by the chance to be in a parade, she even told Rachael Berger, the executive director of Sally's Fund, that those in the car costumes could be involved in choreography.
The contractions began on the couple's drive back home to Long Beach, and Chloe was born at a Kaiser facility in the South Bay.
'Marching in the parade must have been the incentive baby Chloe needed to be coaxed into the world,' Berger said in a statement. 'We're all just over the moon for Nick and Jules.'