District X - 2010/09
RC Flyers on Parade
On June 5, 2010, Shelton, Washington, hosted the annual Paul Bunyan Parade during the Mason County Forest Festival. Each year the Sanderson Field RC Flyers (SFRCF) and the Lake Nahwatzel RC Float Club (LNRCFC) team up to create a float for the parade.
Float construction and preparation
Club members assembled on May 29 to begin work on the float. The float is built on a trailer belonging to SFRCF member Jody Diaz. Members brought the aircraft that would be displayed on the float.
After the plywood foundation was attached to the trailer, members temporarily mounted the display aircraft. Photos of the float were taken to document aircraft positioning, and the aircraft were removed until parade day.
At the end of the planning day, members enjoyed a barbecue.
Before parade day, SFRCF member Sharon Diaz planned and acquired the background and other decorations for the float and gave the plywood a fresh coat of paint.
Parade day
Parade day began with a breakfast at Blondie's Restaurant, a Shelton favorite. After breakfast, club members assembled the float near the parade's starting point. The float was decorated and an American flag was attached as a final touch.
The float was hitched to a van driven by Richard Robb. Richard also supervised the attachment of large banners advertising the RC clubs to the sides of the van. The parade began at 11 a.m. along Shelton's main street, Railroad Avenue.
All club members who participated in preparing the float had fun during the project and enjoyed the excitement of the parade among the spectators who lined several blocks of the route. The float was awarded third place in its category.
Participants
- Robert Beatty
- Burton Daggett
- Jody Diaz
- Sharon Diaz
- Eric Oberg
- Richard Robb
- Royce Tivel
- Charles Kentfield
Thank you to anyone else who helped with the float whose name does not appear in the list.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
