Community spirit on parade

Every good parade needs a unicyclist, or so said sisters Abby and Bella Dunham to their cousin Annie Mitchell of Costa Mesa.

The three girls were dressed to impress as a princess, fairy and ballerina at the 13th Annual Balboa Island Parade Sunday to accompany their dad and uncle Greg Dunham, who rode his unicycle on the parade route for the first time.

Dunham and the girls were mere spectators at last year’s parade, but when Abby, 7, and Bella, 4, noticed there wasn’t anyone riding the one-wheeled bike in the parade, they elicited the help of dear-old dad and convinced him to enter this year’s event. Now that the parade was complete, the girls could focus on the real fun they were going to have.

“We’re throwing lollipops, and mini-lollipops,” said Annie, 6, as the girls rummaged through their baskets and described the colorful array of candy they said they couldn’t wait to toss to the crowd.

“Throwing the candy and waving” is going to be the most fun, said Abby before they began marching.

Trumpets blared, horns honked and people were all smiles along the Bayside Drive and Marine Avenue parade route, and even the thick marine layer couldn’t keep people away from the annual event, which this year celebrated Newport Beach’s 100 years.

As the fog began to fade, the crowds whistled, waved cheered and clapped for the parade participants as they drove, rode, danced or marched by.

Although Dunham was the only person riding a one-wheeled vehicle, there were plenty of shiny four-wheelers about. Cars in the parade ranged from 1930’s on up.

“It’s a fabulous Newport Beach, Balboa Island tradition and I’m very proud to be part of it,” said Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry, who rode with his wife Pamela and daughter Julie in a 1965 brick red Ford Mustang driven by its owner, Newport Beach resident Stan Smith.

Golf carts, which can be seen on any given day chugging along the island streets, were out in full force, most disguised as fun floats. Mary Hardesty, a Balboa Island resident and business owner, walked alongside her golf cart dressed up as a model of the Balboa Island Ferry of 1919.

Every year Hardesty comes out with her husband Cary Clayton, his daughter Erika Primeau and her golf cart to celebrate the Balboa Island community. Carrie Bryant drove the cart and her son Nate, 12, sat in back to wave to the crowd.

“We love it,” said Hardesty, who has lived on the island since 1969. “It brings out the community spirit. It’s contagious and more and more people participate every year.”

This year there were about 90 groups in the parade, said parade staff volunteer and longtime Balboa Island resident Bob Stover.

San Diego residents Kennedy, 4, and Caitlin Logan, 3, came with their mom and dad to watch Laurie Carroll and her family march with the Opal Avenue parade participants. Sitting on the curb of the Balboa Island bridge, the kids waved and collected the candy thrown to the crowd.

“Not very many places in the world can do this,” Carroll said with a smile. “It’s great.”(LA)Paul Schmidt, of Newport Beach, gives his pink poodle, Paris, a treat at the parade. dpt.05-parade-3-cw-BPhotoInfoM31RL8O220060605j0d6jancDAILY PILOT (LA)Greg Dunham pedals a unicycle along the parade route at the 13th Annual Balboa Island Parade. dpt.05-parade-4-cw-BPhotoInfoM31RL8OM20060605j0d6jtncDAILY PILOT(LA) At left, Madeline Phillips, center, and Sydney Slattery, right, wave flags during the singing of the national anthem at the 13th Annual Balboa Island Parade in Newport Beach. Below, Cornell and Elena Iliescu perform a swing dance to the crowd’s delight. dpt.05-parade-2-cw-BPhotoInfoM31RL8L720060605j0d6innc(LA)dpt.05-parade.-1-cw-CPhotoInfoM31RL8KU20060605j0d6kbnc of the crowd.