FELTON — Community members from San Lorenzo Valley, Santa Cruz County and over the hill lined up along Highway 9 in Felton on a drizzly, but warm Saturday morning for the 34th annual Felton Remembers Parade and Covered Bridge Festival.
The parade, held every Memorial Day weekend by the Felton Business and Community Association to honor those who have served and died in the U.S armed forces, featured a wide selection of classic and state-of-the-art vehicles — from a procession of historic tractors to an electric school bus.
The parade had numerous unique, moving spectacles such as the termite-inspecting daredevil from Country Home Inspection and Termite ramping onto and off from a moving car on a dirt bike, multiple fire trucks, classic cars and motorcycles both large and small. And with more single-serving bags of candy being handed out and hurled than both kids and adults could stuff in their pockets, the parade was enjoyed by community members young and old such as Felton residents Sid and Ben Bobisuthi.
“I have been coming to the parade since I was like 2,” said Ben Bobisuthi. “It’s great to see the whole community come together and all the people we know from town going through the parade and having fun.”
“I just love the old cars,” added Sid Bobisuthi. “I also like the sense of community. It’s very nostalgic for me. And I like all the tractors, too, and the guy jumping over the car.”
U.S. Army veteran Doug Jones, who served in the Vietnam War, was visiting from San Jose and was attending the Felton Remembers Parade for the first time. He said he was happy to see all the young people participating in the parade and gathering candy on the sidelines.
“The people are just wonderful here,” said Jones. “And Memorial Day means a lot to me.”
After the parade ended, community members filled the highway before making their way over to Felton Covered Bridge County Park for the Covered Bridge Festival, which featured food vendors of all kinds, live music from local bands such as the Wildcat Mountain Ramblers, games, local arts and craft vendors and with stunt pilots flying overhead.
Chris Howe and his 11-year-old son Frederic try to attend the Felton Remembers Parade each year and were enjoying some freeze-dried fruit snacks in Covered Bridge Park and comparing this year’s procession to years past. Frederic said that the best part of this year’s parade was the old cars.
“My daughter is a cheerleader so seeing her was my favorite part,” said Chris Howe. “And seeing all the people in the community that you know is great, and also the old tractors.”