KIRSTINA BOLTON | staff writer
photo | KIRSTINA BOLTON
The Oldies Car Club added to the history displayed in the parade.


On Oct. 13, the city of Azusa expressed their pride in the community through the Golden Days Parade, bringing together families and friends on San Gabriel Avenue. The entire week paid tribute to the western roots of the city and provided the city’s programs a time to share their purpose in the community.

Churches, schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations all took part. Families from across the city gathered on the sidewalks of San Gabriel Avenue to witness the parade that included floats, cars, drill teams, boxing clubs and bands.

With nearly 10 different categories for the judging criteria, and over 10 competing high school bands participating in this year’s parade, around 300 panel judges were needed to judge and reward the best participants.

“There are a lot of schools,” General Chairman Art Ramirez said. “We have schools from other cities come in, not just Azusa. It goes all the way from Duarte to Hesperia.”

The high school band category was the largest category according to Joe Guarrera, member of the Personnel Board.

“There are eight judges from the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association, and the band directors come from all around,” Guarrera said. “Each judge critiques a different area of the band: lineup, music, drumming, etc.”

Based on the school’s performance throughout the parade, the judges’ tallies determine the winner by the end. This year, Kaiser High School from Fontana was the sweepstakes winner for the high school band category.

A growing category in the parade is the car clubs. Antique machines from as early as the 1920s weave dside-by-side one another down San Gabriel Ave., while drivers and passengers waved at the crowd and judges. The children in the crowd hollered “Honk! Honk!” The Oldies Car Club came and showed off their cars and will show them again on Oct. 28 for the fourth Annual Trunk or Treat Car and Truck show.

Smaller groups that tie the parade together consist of floats that carry middle schools and boxing clubs down the street, rotary clubs, the APU band, and various novelty groups.

One novelty group from Azusa, the Azusa Adult School flashed their golden handprint t-shirts and self-decorated wagons as they walked down the street.

Mary Ann Romanek, a teacher at the school, has been participating in the Golden Days Parade for 27 years now.

“I started when my daughter was three,” Romanek said.

Romanek’s daughter is now grown and a teacher at the school as well. Their service draws families from all over Azusa, and as far as San Bernardino to learn how to manage time as a family, learning together and growing together.

In the parade, one of the young students was pulled in a western-decorated wagon by her dog that the parents trained specifically for the parade.

“It’s a family thing,” Romanek said about the significance of the parade. “It’s so important to see families make a point to be a part of something together.”

The Azusa Adult School took home the first place trophy for the novelty category, making a total a of six first place trophies earned.

The parade has been a part of Azusa since 1949, and many have come to see it as a time to know neighbors and celebrate the past.

“We keep with the Western theme,” Ramirez said. “But when the kids get older, tastes change, so we try to keep up with the times.” With plenty of western flavor to go around, this parade will stay to attract more and more neighbors in our community.