Laguna will unite to ‘Never Forget’

For now, sunny skies are in the forecast for the 46th annual Patriots Day Parade on Saturday.

The parade — with a theme this year of “Never Forget” — will begin at 11 a.m. at the corner of Park Avenue and Short Street, near Laguna Beach High School. Laguna Beach police are warning residents to expect impacted traffic downtown from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m..

The route will take the parade entries down Park Avenue. From there, the procession will make a right turn on Glenneyre Street and another right on Forest Avenue, ending just past City Hall.

Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road will remain open, but several downtown streets will be closed.

More than 100 participants are expected to take part in this year’s parade, including local Boy and Girl Scout troops, high school marching bands, community groups, local businesses and newspapers, military and veteran groups, and this year’s parade honorees. Keep an eye out for the Coastline Pilot, entry No. 82.

The grand marshals will be Gen. George Lee and Dorene Butler.

Louise E. Buckley is the Honored Patriot, and the Citizens of the Year are Betsy and Gary Jenkins.

Caroline Cannan and Bryce Blanton are the Junior Citizens of the Year.

Also honored will be Artist of the Year Jorg Dubin and Athlete of the Year Natasha Strickland, a cross-country runner from Laguna Beach High School.

This is a patriotic event, so parade attendees and participants are encouraged to show off their best in red, white and blue.

The parade is put on by the Patriots Day Parade Assn.

“Our 2012 parade theme, ‘Never Forget,’ reminds us that as Americans we hold dear the idea of a quest for a better life,” Parade Assn. President Ed Hanke II said in a statement on the parade’s website. “We recall how our nation and communities such as ours united and rose to combat fascism, totalitarianism, and global terrorism.

“We cherish and preserve the memory of those who sacrificed their lives that we might live in freedom and peace. Never forget our flag and those who defend it.”

Cox3 will rebroadcast the parade at 7 p.m. March 14 and 4 p.m. March 18, and Cox3 on Demand (channel 2636) will show it from March 19 to April 19.

Street Closures

•Park Avenue (between Wendt Terrace and Coast Highway)

•Glenneyre Street (between Legion Street and Forest Avenue)

•Forest Avenue (entire length between Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road)

•Third Street (entire length between Park Avenue and Forest Avenue)

•Second Street (entire length between Mermaid and Forest Avenue)

•Mermaid (entire length between Second Street and Third Street)

For more information, call Lt. Jason Kravetz at (949) 497-0307.