BRINNON — A decades-long tradition will return to Brinnon this week.
The Loyalty Day Parade, highlighted by public service organizations and children with American flags, will begin at 1 p.m. Friday.
It continues a community custom that started in 1921 and became a permanent addition to the Brinnon calendar in 1958, event organizer Ernie Muir said.
“We’re one of the few communities that does it at all anymore,” he said.
The parade will start at the Brinnon Booster Club, 151 Corey St., and end at Johnston Realty, 40 Brinnon Lane. That’s where a 25-minute program will take place, featuring preschool students from Brinnon and Quilcene.
Awards also will be given to Brinnon’s Citizen of the Year and Firefighter/EMT of the Year.
“It’s a very short parade, about five blocks long, and that’s all the way through town,” Muir said.
Parade participants range from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office personnel to elected officials to the Jefferson County Public Utility District, Muir said.
All children in the area get out of school and have an opportunity to march in the event, he added.
“[Teachers] walk them down there — we’re only two blocks from the school — and we give each one of them a flag,” Muir said. “It’s a big deal for them.”
While organizers don’t know how many people will participate, Muir said they send invitations to many people in Jefferson County, including the Board of County Commissioners and other department leaders.
Once the program at Johnston Realty wraps up, a luncheon is planned at the booster club, Muir said.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
