Easter Parade Is Big Deal, but in a Small Way : Entertainment: Hometown atmosphere is key to event that stresses children and community spirit over size and fanfare.

Amy Witbeck, 7, waited eagerly for her first Seal Beach Easter Parade to begin Sunday, and said she most wanted to see the group of baton twirlers.

“My sister’s in it,” Amy said.

Alison Witbeck, 5, Amy’s little sister, was one of the many children who starred in the parade, notable more for its small size and community spirit than for floats and marching bands.

“I like it because it’s cozy and it’s more like a village atmosphere,” said Fanny Bollen, a Seal Beach resident who brought her four grandchildren to the parade for the fifth or sixth year.

The parade, primarily featuring area children’s organizations, has provided Sunday-afternoon entertainment to area families for nearly 20 years, said Jackie Maloney, a parade organizer.

She called the parade “hokey” and “funny,” but added that those qualities are part of its charm.

“It’s like a little hometown deal,” said Maloney, who estimated attendance at 4,000.

The parade was “a little something different,” said Richard Wells, 64, of Signal Hill. Wells said he and his wife came to the parade after his daughter saw a sign advertising it and “we decided it was about time to go to the beach.”

“It’s a very festive time,” Wells said. “We got tired of the rain.”

Jan McCauley said she has been coming to the parade with her children for four or five years because it is less commercialized than other, more famous parades.

“It’s nice. The people are nice,” McCauley said. “There’re dogs in it.”

The parade also featured winners of last year’s Miss Seal Beach Pageant. Niki Decker, 18, who was named Seal Beach Princess in the pageant, said she used to come to the parade when she was younger, and to be part of the parade this year was “nerve-racking.”

“You’re more the center of attention,” said Decker, a Huntington Beach resident.

All in all, the parade was pretty tranquil and reflective of a “nice, quiet little town,” said Seal Beach Police Officer Jim Johnson, who patrolled the parade route.

The flocks of children who turned out for the parade gave Frank Boyd, 74, of Long Beach a chance to advertise an upcoming circus sponsored by the El Bekal Shrine Temple in Anaheim. Boyd, a noble in the temple, was walking up and down the parade route handing out free circus tickets to spectators.

“It’s a kiddie parade,” Boyd said. “Every child wants to see a circus.”

Although opinions varied on the parade’s direct effect on business, some of those who spent the event behind counters of local shops said it was good for the community. The Seal Beach Business Assn. sponsored the festival.

Main St. Ice Cream and Yogurt, which has only been in business about two months, opened an hour early because of the parade, said manager Linda Kessman.

“We’re geared up to be real busy,” Kessman said, adding that the parade was “letting people know we’re here.”

Tim McLean, manager of the Seal Beach Courtyard Nursery, said that while the parking problems associated with the parade might have slowed business for an hour or two, the event did bring new people into town and might bring them back to his store.

“You don’t have stuff like this in other cities,” McLean said. “That’s one of the nice things about Seal Beach.”