Parade Draws Its Largest Crowd Ever

Proud equestrians, waving politicians and little girls clutching pom-poms gathered under hazy skies in Canoga Park on Monday for the community’s annual Memorial Day parade.

About 60,000 people turned out to cheer, blow horns or just kick back and watch the parade roll by, the largest crowd ever to attend the event, according to organizers.

The 120 entrants included marching bands, drill teams, an Elvis impersonator and lots of convertibles carrying a procession of the city’s civic and political leaders.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan sat atop a cherry-red Mustang GT convertible, flanked by mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa on one side and state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar) on the other.

Waving vigorously to the crowds, Riordan was clearly savoring his last days at the helm of the city, and said he will really miss his mayoral parade duties.

“Parades . . . are one of the most fun things to do as mayor,” Riordan said. “I’m a child at heart. I love parades. It’s a wonderful way to meet and greet people.”

Several motorcades away was City Atty. James K. Hahn, also running for mayor. He rode a Veterans of Foreign Wars float festooned with a golden eagle and lots of flags. Hahn smiled and waved at the crowds.

The Canoga Park parade, which dates back to the 1940s but was on hiatus in the 1970s and ‘80s, has become an annual ritual for many in the community.

Teresita Mireles, 17, hoisted her 4-year-old brother Pedro upward so he could get a better look. Blowing hard through a blue horn that was almost as long as he was tall, Pedro bleated at the flag-bearing men atop tall horses.

The Mireles family of Canoga Park has been coming to the parade every year for the last five years, Teresita said. “It’s fun. I like everything about it--the cars, the cheerleaders, the music of the bands.”

Watching from a distance, 60-year-old John Ogle of Canoga Park, who was an Air Force cook during the Vietnam War, said he has been coming every year for so long he has “lost track” of the number of times.

Ogle, an accountant who is currently between jobs, said he especially appreciates the parade because “It’s for the veterans--for us.

“For those who served, at least people still remember us and we’re not forgotten,” Ogle said. “It lets the country know we’re still here.”