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On a perfect day in the San Gabriel Valley, families lined the sidewalks of Las Tunas Drive to await the pending mid-morning community parade on Saturday–day two of the 70th Annual Temple City Camellia Festival celebration during its namesake’s expected bloom.

In their third year of participation, the college was represented by the members of the Herald Trumpets, cheerleaders, and ambassadors, who joined the 87 entries that comprised the parade line-up, according to Alan David De La Vara of the PCC Office of Community and School Relations

“Temple City is one of the school districts we work with,” De La Vara said of PCC’s participation in the annual parade and festival. “It’s great, it’s always fun, and we have a good time. We like being a part of that.  The crowds seem to get a kick out of it, so we’re impressed with the response from the crowds.”

Seven Camillia-adorned floats, as well as numerous bands, clubs, and community groups from local areas such as El Monte, Rosemead, and Pasadena, also wowed the crowds, along with a royal court of 1^st grade King, Queen, Princesses and Princes, who are chosen in an annual contest to serve as ambassadors for the city and ride their own float.

First grader Aiden Garner‘s winning theme contest entry, ”Oh ,The Books You Will Read,” after the Dr. Seuss book, was chosen from 300 entries. Garner’s prize was a space in the parade, riding proud in a chauffeured vintage black Model A Ford.

While volunteers checked in city officials and other dignitaries in the grandstands–many of whom were still in the parade–a 1940 Stearman bi-plane soared overhead, returning as if in encore to the cheering crowds.

“That’s our Stealth Bomber!,” said Nanette Fish, the festival’s director, of local Gabe Lopez’ scheduled flight that began at the El Monte airport just for the event and referencing Pasadena’s own world renowned parade.

For Fish, the festival’s director of seven consecutive years, and a volunteer for 14, the annual celebration is a family affair, where her daughter Lainie was a princess in 1999.

“She’s in the parade now!,” Fish said proudly. “She’s driving the Mayor, so you can’t miss her.”

Holding grandstand seats was fifty-year local and 11-year Pasadena City Councilman Fernando Viscara, a PCC alumnus. 

Viscara mostly enjoyed “watching all the kids and their displays and the bands” in the festival.  He also spoke warmly of the good times he had at PCC as a sociology major, where he spent four years prior to transferring to Cal State LA to earn his M.B.A. and a degree in sociology.

“That was a different age,” recalls Viscara of his time in the mid-60s. “We had fraternities back then. It was a totally different environment than it is now. It wasn’t as built up. It was more small town–more parochial.”

According to Vincent Yu, a local of 25 years who is celebrating at his 5^th festival as a Temple City councilman, the parade and festival is older than the city, which was incorporated in 1960.

“This a grand celebration that we have,” said Yu. “The festival proceeded our city’s history, so the festival is actually a long tradition in our area. We’re very proud of it and proud to be a little city.”

Some parade-goers came from as far as San Diego. Belle Ger, who lives five minutes from the festival site came to see a daughter in the parade, along with her two other daughters, Rachel and Rebecca, who traveled from UC San Diego just to see their sister and enjoy the festival.

Like carefully placed crumbs, colorful Camellia petals littered the blacktop main street stretch leading to the parade’s end, where at the top monoliths of active carnival rides expanded to the street to make room in the park for the various non-profit fund-raising food booths and games.

“We make a platform for other non-profits to make money,” Fish said. “And then the money that the Camellia Festival makes through the rides and such we donate it back to the community.  We do scholarships, we donate to high schools, we donate to grad night – anything that has to do with youth.”

At the close, festival-goers were treated to two bands and a beer and wine garden in the evening, where the festival lasted until 11 p.m. just for its platinum anniversary.

 

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