District XI - 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.
Club members assembled on May 29 to begin work on the float. The float was 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 were taken to document the aircraft positioning, and the aircraft were removed until parade day.
At the end of this planning day, members enjoyed a barbecue.
Before parade day, SFRCF member Sharon Diaz planned and acquired the background and other decorations to be used on the float, and gave the plywood a fresh coat of paint.
Parade day began with a breakfast at Blondies Restaurant, a Shelton favorite. After breakfast, club members began assembling the float near the parade’s starting point. The float was assembled and decorated, and an American flag was attached as a final touch — the float was ready to go.
The float was hitched to a van owned and 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 of the club members who participated in preparing the float had a lot of fun during the project. Besides preparing the float, members enjoyed the excitement of the parade and the spectators who lined several blocks of the parade route. The float was awarded third place in its category.
Members who participated in the float’s assembly included:
- Robert Beatty
- Burton Daggett
- Jody Diaz
- Sharon Diaz
- Eric Oberg
- Richard Robb
- Royce Tivel
- Charles Kentfield
Anyone else who helped with the float whose name does not appear in the list, thank you for your help.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
