Mariners Park parade marches to new record

NEWPORT BEACH ? When Emily Cain entered the Mariners Park parade Tuesday, she honored two histories: her country’s and her family’s.

The Ensign Intermediate School eighth-grader was one of dozens of people who mounted bicycles, wagons and scooters for the annual Fourth of July parade, held on the streets surrounding the park. For her mode of transportation, Emily chose a genuine antique ? a weathered bicycle that once belonged to her grandmother.

“She gave it to my mom, and my mom gave it to me,” Emily, 13, said. “I love it. I’m never going to get a new bike.”

For the parade, Emily decorated the bike with red and blue balloons and equipped it with a bottle of root beer for the sweltering weather. Despite the age of the gears, Emily said the bike ran like new.

“I just got it serviced, and it runs like butter,” she explained.

From middle-schoolers to high-schoolers, toddlers to seniors, everyone found something to do at the annual Mariners Park celebration, which keyed off Independence Day at 10 a.m. with music, food, carnival games, sports and, of course, the famous parade.

The festival on Tuesday was the biggest ever in Mariners Park. To bring in as many gate receipts as possible, the organizers doubled the amount of games and attractions, installed a rock wall and other sports activities, and even made concessions to specific age groups: a toddler area for those 5 and younger, and a rock band for older teenagers.

“Surprisingly enough, we sold tickets for two months prior to the event, and we still had a big line today,” said Erin Seabold, a Mariners parent and the chairwoman of the foundation.

Every year, the Mariners Elementary School Foundation holds the event to bring in funds for its academic programs. With the foundation paying the bills, Mariners Elementary holds classes in science and music as well as other subjects.

Although the foundation spearheads the annual event and is its only beneficiary, other groups from around Newport Beach contribute heavily. TK Burger, Newport Imaging and Toshiba Electronics were among the businesses that sponsored Tuesday’s celebration, while officials from the city, United States Marine Corps and Coast Guard also made appearances.

At one point, the foundation even organized a pair of wheelbarrow races, in which Mayor Don Webb, City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle and officers from the Marines and Coast Guard participated. The Coast Guard came out on top twice in a row.

“I hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July,” Webb told the crowd afterward, wearing a hat and short sleeves to battle the heat. “Thank you very much.”dpt.05-mariners-3-CPhotoInfoTG1SKFDR20060705j1wi8ync(LA)Newport Beach Mayor Don Webb waves a flag as he is driven down Mariners Drive toward Mariners Park in Tuesday’s parade.dpt.05-mariners-1-CPhotoInfoTG1SKFCS20060705j1wi7sncPHOTOS BY MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Area residents bring up the end of the Mariners Fourth of July Parade as they make their way along Mariners Drive toward Mariners Park in Newport Beach Tuesday morning.