From ‘kiddie parade’ to money-making philanthropy, Hawthorne fair marches on.

Once upon a time, Hawthorne’s community parade and fair involved a bunch of children decorating their bicycles and riding through town. A few games were set up on a ball diamond where the police station now stands.

But that was 40 years ago.

These days, the parade--with the 1988 edition slated to step off at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hawthorne Boulevard and 139th Street--has bands, floats, horses, clowns, drill teams and drum corps. It takes two hours to unfold.

The parade is the highlight of the 5-day Hawthorne Community Fair. Larry Guyer, general chairman, says it’s the biggest party in town.

“It provides entertainment for people in Hawthorne and surrounding communities during the summer,” said Guyer, who has been fair chairman for 11 years. “And it keeps giving year-round, because funds we raise are turned back to the community.”

The fair, which opened Wednesday and continues through Sunday, has all but taken over the Hawthorne Memorial Center at Prairie Avenue and El Segundo Boulevard. A variety of exhibitors, ranging from vendors of kitchen utensils to the Hawthorne Police Department, dominate the auditorium and patio, and a midway with rides and games has been set up in the parking lot.

The event is planned and coordinated with the volunteer labor of about 60 Kiwanis Club of Hawthorne members and their families. “We have only one paid secretary, and that’s it,” Guyer said.

After expenses are covered, the fair usually raises about $25,000, which Guyer said is used for such things as youth sports and scholarships for students at Hawthorne and Leuzinger high schools and El Camino College. “We help 25 or 30 organizations or programs,” Guyer said.

Saturday’s parade will travel north on Hawthorne to El Segundo Boulevard, then east on El Segundo to the Memorial Center at Doty Avenue.

“We’re going to have 11 or 12 bands, a Kiwanis Club float, Miss Hawthorne and her court, clowns, and equestrian units,” Guyer said.

A rundown of the 200 or so units scheduled to march include South Bay high school bands, horses from the Palos Verde Peninsula, antique autos, Popeye the Sailor as brought to life by Paul Holladay, and bands, drill teams and drum corps. Participants are coming from as far away as Orange County and the Inland Empire.

The midway is operated by Christiansen Amusements of Escondido. General Manager Buzz Christiansen said the company specializes in community celebrations such as the one in Hawthorne.

Said Guyer: “The midway is by far the biggest draw of the fair.”

And what prize do people most want to win? “Last year, it was Spuds McKenzie,” said Christiansen, referring to Budweiser’s black-eyed mascot. “But this year, it’s the California Raisins.”

The parade and fair started modestly in 1947, when the Kiwanis Club and other civic groups in Hawthorne saw a need to raise money for recreation in the growing city. “It took off from a kiddie parade,” Guyer said. “They decorated their bikes, rode through town and had games at the end of the parade.” Later, the event was expanded into a tent carnival to raise money for parks and recreation activities.