Parade, chief for a day planned for Thursday
Members of the Seattle Cossacks motorcycle drill team perform during Sage-N-Sun last year.
EPHRATA - A parade and the Chief for a Day events are being held Thursday.
The events normally scheduled to coincide with Ephrata's Sage-n-Sun festival are continuing despite the festival's cancellation.
Ephrata's Rotary Youth Parade is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and travels through the city starting on the corner of Second Avenue Northwest, and north along C Street to Fourth Avenue. It turns right and runs south along Basin Street, turning on Second Avenue Southwest, until it ends at the Grant County Courthouse lawn.
The theme for the parade is "It's a Jungle Out There," Colleen Allred, one of the parade organizers said; adding she expects about 300 children to be involved in the parade. Children dress according to the theme and have their costumes judged.
"The Rotary has sponsored this youth parade for as long as I can remember," she said. "I think it will be well-attended. It's become a tradition."
The club is inviting any children 14 years old or younger to participate in the parade. Allred said the club gives out trophies to the best costumes in four categories - individual, pets, float and group - and the best overall. Judging starts at 6:15 p.m. in the parking lot at the corner of Second Avenue Northwest and C Street Northwest.
"They'll be judged on how well they incorporate the theme. There's different criteria, but it's pretty simple," she said. "We just want everyone to have a good time. Each child will receive a bracelet with a jungle theme."
Children can register during the judging, and parents are encouraged to participate in the parade with their children, Allred said. Along with the children in costumes, the parade will feature the Ephrata High School Band, Rotary scholarship winners and the eight children selected in the Chief for a Day program.
The parade will be the last part of the children's program for the day. The eight children in the Chief for a Day program, selected by police and fire agencies, will be part of a 2 p.m. ceremony on the courthouse front lawn.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office, Ephrata Police Department, Quincy Police Department, Moses Lake Police Department, Soap Lake Police Department, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement, the Washington State Patrol, and the Ephrata Fire Department each sponsored a child enduring and overcoming a physical or developmental disability. Each child is given a uniform and named as a chief during the celebration day.
"This is a really great and important occasion, and each year the experience is heart-warming," Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones stated. "The public and our partnering agencies always show the greatest support for these special kids."