JERRY PERSON
We all think of our Fourth of July parade as the most important event
in Huntington Beach. But that was not always the case.
During the 1920s the biggest event had to be our Armistice Day
parade. So many of the boys of Orange County served in the Great War
(World War I) that this parade and the days events had more meaning
to them.
Although the first parade was held in 1918, we are more interested
in the eleventh annual parade held on the eleventh hour of the
eleventh month of the eleventh year since World War I ended. That was
Nov. 11, 1929 and that day entailed more than just a parade, there
was much entertainment throughout day and night.
The mile-and-a-half parade began with the firing of the cannons at
exactly 11 a.m. The parade started at 17th Street, traveled down
Ocean Avenue (now Pacific Coast Highway) up to 3rd Street, along 3rd
to Olive Avenue and onto Main Street, where it then traveled back to
Ocean Avenue and back to 11th Street where it turned and travel 11th
to Orange Avenue where it finally disbanded.
Cars from the closed street were diverted over onto Palm Avenue
with our police officers directing traffic away from the marchers.
This parade was backed and planned by the Huntington Beach
American Legion, which spent many months in meetings to plan for this
one-day event.
As usual, our William "Bill" Gallienne was a big part of the
planning and he chaired the music committee. He arranged to have 15
bands and drum corps stationed along the line of march, which
included bands from Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton and Huntington
Schools, the Spanish American War Veterans Drum Corps, the U.S. Navy
Band, St. Catherine's Military school band and the Sherman Institute
Indian band.
There were horses and riders and more than 80 floats.
The theme for this year's event was a "History of California." A
60-by 20-foot stage was erected under the steel arches at Main Street
and Ocean Avenue for concerts and various types of entertainment
during the day. The lights on the steel arch would be changed to red,
white and blue just for this event.
As morning of the big day arrived the cities of Fullerton, Santa
Ana and Huntington Beach's Breakfast Clubs met early at the Golden
Bear cafe for breakfast with members and their guests.
Huntington Beach Breakfast Club President Eldon Conrad welcomed
all and introduced Lew Blodget, the chairman of the celebration, then
gave a patriotic address. And when that was completed, Blodget
