A parade that nearly wasn’t

I can’t believe that next week we’ll be celebrating Independence Day with our world-famous parade and fireworks show.

Our parade has been a tradition with our city since its founding in 1904, and I am so glad that this year’s parade executive board has named a good friend of mine as community grand marshal.

I have known Arline Huff Howard, her husband Marcus and their two children, Cindy and Paul, for many years and this lady truly deserves this honor. Over the years, she has volunteered her time tirelessly in helping preserve some of Huntington Beach’s rich history for future generations.

I had the great honor of serving with Arline on the heritage committee that evolved into the city’s historic resources board. She has been involved in the dedication of Discovery Well Park, the site of the first oil strike in Huntington Beach, and has contributed to several historic events in the past, notably the city’s 100th birthday.

I’ll be sure to wave to her as she passes by in her limo in the parade.

There was a time in our city’s history that it looked like this wonderful parade might not have taken place.

For many years, the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce spearheaded the sponsorship of this great parade, and leading this group was none other than the great “El Generalissimo” himself, William Henry “Bill” Gallienne.

Serving as the chamber’s secretary-manager, Gallienne nearly single-handedly planned each year’s parade from the 1930s to the 1960s.

But on Nov. 13, 1965 the unthinkable happened when Bill Gallienne passed away.

Now without its leader and driving force, the chamber’s board of directors met on the last day of February of 1966 in the Sheraton Beach Inn on Pacific Coast Highway to discuss the future of the event.

President Roger Slates presided over this meeting, and John Sigrist of the chamber’s music and promotion committee opened the discussion. Slates told the board that the previous year’s parade cost $12,000 ? of which the city would pay $6,300 ? and the chamber would have to fork over the rest.

Board member Don Byrnes told the group that he saw no value in the parade in this modern age. But Main Street car dealer Bob Jurkovich disagreed with Byrnes and told the board members that the parade brought national publicity to Huntington Beach, and that alone justified the expense.

Slates referred the matter to John Sigrist’s committee for report back at a later date.

At the March 7, 1966 City Council meeting, the council voted to spend $10,000 on the 1966 parade event. But the chamber would have liked it if the full $12,000 was given.

There was friction between some council and chamber members during this time. Members of the junior chamber of commerce said they would undertake the task of sponsoring the parade for 1966 if the senior chamber didn’t.

A meeting of the Jaycees was held in the home of John Hathaway. During this meeting, Jaycee President Jack Hall told the group the Jaycees were ready to tackle this gigantic undertaking.

At the next regular City Council meeting, Slates and Sigrist appealed for more money to run the event. Councilman Robert Lambert said the previous year’s event cost the city nearly $7,000, including $1,250 for fireworks, and the chamber was asking for an additional $4,800 for the current year.

Councilman Jake Stewart told the chamber that he was going to make a motion that the following year there would be no contract with the chamber.

Councilman Thomas Welch said he hated to see the parade go down the tubes and requested the council stand by the $10,000 limit.

In mid-March of 1966, Slates announced that the City Council had decided to authorize the junior chamber to handle the 1966 parade.

At the March 17 chamber meeting, 37-year-old Dale Dunn took over the reigns of secretary-manager and would tackle the problem of keeping the historic parade going.

That year, the Jaycees worked hard to put together a great parade event. The route they chose would have the parade start at 14th and Main streets and roll down Main toward the pier. Then the parade would turn onto Orange, proceed past the old civic center, and turn onto 9th Street, where it would travel to Walnut and back to Main.

The parade would march up Main to Fifth Street and onto Lake Street, where it would head for Lake Park.

That year’s parade was dedicated to the memory of Bill Gallienne with the theme of Eternal Independence.

John Willis, the host of KHJ TV’s “Hollywood Backstage,” would serve as grand marshal, and the “Southland’s most-honored reporter,” George Putnam, would be riding his 13-year-old platinum palomino “Diamond” as equestrian grand marshal.

Also with Putnam would be Darlene Ermis, Miss California; the Green Hornet; Miss Huntington Beach Susan Bruderlin; as well as 18 bands; 18 floats; 90 equestrian units and 40 antique cars.

This year, there will be a lot more to our parade. And if I’m lucky, Arline will smile and wave to me as she rides along Main Street.