During the "Taste of Torchlight, a preview of the Seafair Torchlight Parade, some entries spotlighted West Seattle. Pictured top is the South Park Legacy of Innovation Float today, a remake of the 1937 float pictured below. Top, right to left: Ron Cook, Pres. South Park Business Assoc., City Council member Sally Bagshaw, who is a flight instructor, as Amelia Earhart, Charles Riley, South Park Business Assoc., Liz Salisbury of Boeing, Bob Hicks, WWII flyer, wearing blue suit, being honored. Historic photo depicts original float of the Aeronautical Mechanics Local 751 in Seattle's Labor Day Parade. It won 1st Prize. "Clipper" on top of float. Click on photo for SLIDESHOW.
Click on photo for SLIDESHOW
Floats lined up on the south side of Mercer Street north of the Space Needle while marching bands practiced at Seattle Center during the "Taste of Torchlight", a preview of tonight's Seafair Torchlight Parade.
Before West Seattle resident and King County Executive Dow Constantine helped kick off the parade (he was #10 of #106 entries) there was some participation from West Seattle in the "Taste" including the Hi-Yu Festival Float, South Park Legacy of Innovation Float, & All City Band with numerous Chief Sealth students and alumni.
IAM 751's (Boeing Machinist's Union) website says members are scheduled to walk along side a similar version of IAM District 751’s 1937 float in the Seafair Torchlight Parade. The South Park Business Association (SPBA) has built a float that is almost a replica of the District’s Float that was entered into the Seattle Labor Day Parade in 1937 (They we were organized in 1935). A picture of it was featured in the Pacific Northwest Labor History Calendar last year. The “First Prize” float has a model of the 314 Pan American Clipper/Flying Boat (members built in 1936 at Boeing) topping a revolving world against a background of gold and blue streamers and African marigolds, representing the round the world route of the Clipper which opened the world to luxury international air travel.
Major Sponsors of the float are: The South Park Business Association, IAM District 751, The Museum of Flight, The Port of Seattle, The Boeing Company, Pan Am Airlines and their World Wings Association.
Sally Bagshaw depicted Amelia Earhart. "The 314 'Clipper' landed on its belly in the water, which was one of Pan Am's first commercial ships," said Seattle City Council member Sally Bagshaw, pointing to the model plane at the top of the globe. I'm a licensed flight instructor and very interested in the WASP's, the Women Airforce Service Pilots who flew in '43 and '44. I volunteered to help with the float in the parade. I have met a bunch of WASP's and they are phenomenal women. They are amazing because being able to fly in the 40's, you can imagine what kind of women they were, powerful, strong and smart. So I get to represent them with great pride."
Todd Bell of West Seattle owns the company "WaRp CORP" and personally created the flag-like fabric on the float.
