MISSION VIEJO : 14 Women to Be Grand Marshals

On the heels of recent successes of women in elections, today’s 24th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will recognize the achievements of local women.

Waving from DeLorean sports cars, 14 women will share the honor of being grand marshal of the parade, which starts at noon near Olympiad Road and Marguerite Parkway. Parade organizers expect about 10,000 people to line the streets for the two-hour procession, which will feature everything from traditional bagpipe brigades to antique cars, floats and marching bands.

But the emphasis will be on the accomplishments of local women. Organizers said they started with a short list that quickly mushroomed out of control. “We wound up with so many names,” parade coordinator Eunice Shannon said. “They’re all good, but you can only honor so many.”

Since parade grand marshals have been predominantly male in recent years, “we thought this year we’d honor the women for a change,” Shannon said. “We took a page from all the women who were elected in politics last year--it is the Year of the Woman.”

Honorees include: Nominee for state education chief, Rep. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach), who will not be able to attend the parade; Mission Viejo planning commissioners Sherri Butterfield and Virginia Cankar; charity organizer Donna Crean; Sherrie Good, executive news editor of the South County News; businesswoman Kate Keena; former Nadadores swimmer Becki McCafferty, and Orange County Performing Arts Center Guild chairwoman Fiona Peterson.

Other grand marshals include: National Merit Scholarship finalist Becky Palacio; Orange County News channel anchorwoman Nancy Pender; Saddleback College Trustee President Iris Swanson; local thespian Sherie Tengbergen; television soap opera actress Tricia Cast, and marathon runner Jennifer Rabinowitch.

Also appearing in the parade will be Sandra Earnest, Mrs. USA 1993, along with her husband and 10 children.

Nine marching bands will perform in the parade. Also featured will be equestrian groups, antique cars and fire engines, and a float carrying 50 Dalmatians and a host of Disney characters.

Honoring the Green Mission Viejo’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin at noon and last until 2 p.m. Streets around the parade route will be closed from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The parade will feature antique cars, floats, marching bands and bagpipe brigades.