Parade and Rodeo Follow the Swallows

Jordan West Weaver, blond, freckle-faced and all of 5 years old, had the perfect spot for viewing San Juan Capistrano’s annual Swallows Parade on Saturday: perched atop a concrete bench on Camino Capistrano, just a few feet from where the marchers veered right onto Del Obispo Street.

The little boy, in sneakers and a red cowboy bandanna, had no trouble deciding which part of the parade he enjoyed most:

“The horses and the police mans, that’s what I like the best!” he said, as his mother, Melody Weaver, beamed a few feet away.

Temperature Near 80

Jordan was referring to the 20 or so mounted sheriff’s deputies who were on duty, keeping the path of the parade clear.

“I’ve brought him here since he was just a baby. He’s never missed one,” Melody Weaver said.

Jordan’s 8-year-old sister, Brandy, couldn’t decide what she liked best, but was proud of having watched “the whole thing.”

The 10,000 spectators who showed up for the non-motorized parade--the 27th annual celebration of the return of the swallows to Mission San Juan Capistrano--couldn’t have asked for better weather. Skies were clear and the noontime temperature was near 80 degrees, prompting many in the crowd to shed their T-shirts.

A rodeo following the parade--new this year--induced several thousand parade watchers to stick around for an afternoon of watching the bronc riding, steer wrestling and calf roping.

Another big hit with Jordan Weaver, and a favorite of the thousands of children who dotted the mile-long parade route, was the Outlaw Gunfighter Group. They marched last, and along the way, put on such an impressive gunfight drama that they eventually lagged a good quarter-mile behind.

No Alcohol Allowed

Cries of “whoopee!” echoed every block or so, when one of the gunfighters would bite the dust, supposedly shot by another Old West type in the troupe.

This year’s parade had a new twist: drinking alcoholic beverages along the parade route was prohibited. San Juan Capistrano passed an ordinance after last year’s parade, when 25 spectators were arrested for public drunkenness.

Lt. John Hewitt, commander of the 150-strong sheriff’s detail on parade duty Saturday, said his troops had no enforcement problems with the new law. (There was one arrest for drunkenness, and a few others were ticketed for not obeying warnings to take their liquor inside the restaurants or bars where they had purchased them, he said.)

No Room at the Inn

“Some people were not aware of the ordinance, but once we told them about it, most of them cooperated,” Hewitt said. “We got people in and out of town safely, and everything went very smoothly.”

The no-drinking rule proved a boon to the Swallows Inn, a popular watering hole along the mission strip. Business there was brisk, since drinking outdoors was forbidden.

At least a score of parade watchers, thirsty from the warm sun and parade gazing, crowded the inn’s entrance early in the afternoon. Some, because they were towing children, were turned away.