The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: parade

  • North Country Fair celebrates creativity and strives for social change

    North Country Fair celebrates creativity and strives for social change

    by Alex Anderson

    Students and the surrounding community came together to celebrate creativity and strive for social change at the 49th annual North Country Fair in Arcata Plaza on Sept. 16 and 17. 

    The North Country Fair strives to recognize the eccentric beauty of Arcata and the vibrant people who call it home; celebrating healthy community, environment and cooperation. According to northcountryfair.org, nearly 200 vendors were in attendance to sell their art or deliver their messages to the public. This year’s fair revolved around the theme of ‘Creating The Flow,’ referring to the process for which artists develop their work and embodying the sentiment: you must be the change you wish to see in the world. 

    According to North Country Fair Director Alex Ozaki-Mcneill, there were roughly 4,000 people in attendance throughout the weekend. Ozaki-Mcneill explained how the event focuses on the creativity of local artists, as well as a desire to spark environmental change in the community with the event’s responsible waste initiative. Every year, event staff and volunteer groups weigh all of the trash, recycling and compost, keeping tally of totals and focusing on keeping as much as possible out of the landfill. Ozaki-Mcneill also touched on the friendships formed as one of the stand out aspects of this event.

    “All of the friendships that are formed between [the] community who have favorite vendors that they look for every year,” Ozaki-Mcneill said. “One of our vendors describes it as a giant community hug and I’ve really adopted that, I really like that.”

    Each year the North Country Fair features two parades, the All Species and Samba parades, which bring hundreds of community members together to witness the creativity of their neighbors. With this year’s theme focused on positive change, the main component of this year’s All Species Parade was a depiction of the demolishing of the dams along the Klamath river. Parade participants wore fish heads and carried decorated cutouts of salmon and sturgeon, which were created with the help of Arcata Playhouse Arts and the Yurok Tribal council. 

    Photo by Alex Anderson | Tom Szanto dons a 10 ft. tall owl for North Country Fair’s All Species parade on Sept. 16. The owl is a piece that is over 20 yrs old, having been apart of the parade in years past.
    Photo by Alex Anderson | Zeta Fusion Dance Groups Tani Serene (dance name), performing on the plaza as part of the many North Country Fair activities.
    Photo by Alex Anderson | Samba da Alegra Dance Leader, Rocio Talavera (center) heads the Samba parade down H St. on Sept. 17.
    Photo by Alex Anderson | HSU golden alumni Robert Thoman, rocking a chicken head for this years All Species parade.
    Photo by Alex Anderson | Jen Hildreth (right) dressed as a bear for this years All Species parade.

    Cal Poly Humboldt students were in attendance taking in the vibes of the North Country Fair. Rize Oliveira, a Cal Poly Humboldt student studying forest hydrology, characterized the fair as a fun place to see the community gather. Not knowing that the event was taking place, Oliveira stumbled across the fair with a friend to see what all the commotion was about. She explained her favorite part of the event. 

    “For me: everyone’s energy,” Oliveira said. “It’s a good way to see everyone come together, gather around with similar interests and appreciate local artists and their work that they’re doing.” 

    Other Cal Poly Humboldt students saw the fair as a special way to signify the changing of the seasons, gearing the community towards the coming shift in weather. Nicole Pastori, a critical race and gender studies major who grew up in Humboldt, described the event as a nice way to wrap up the summer and celebrate the coming of fall. The parades featured in the event are very characteristic of Arcata, according to Pastori. 

    “I think it’s so quintessentially Arcata,” Pastori said. “It’s in your face about it. I think anyone who wasn’t from here would have a hard time understanding, if they weren’t themselves on the plaza. It’s a hard-to-describe event, but it was good this year.”

  • Hometown heroes celebrated in Rhododendron Parade

    Hometown heroes celebrated in Rhododendron Parade

    by Andres Felix Romero

    Originally printed May 5, 2023

    Crowded together on all sides of Henderson and C street sidewalks in Eureka, local Humboldt residents excitedly waited for the 2023 Rhododendron Parade to commence. When the clock struck 10:00 AM, the Eureka branch of the fraternal organization Native Sons of the Golden West presented the American flag for the National Anthem, sung by Taylee Mullins on the announcers’ stage. Following the presentation, 62 different organizations in the local area paraded through the streets of Eureka beginning at 7th and E streets. 

    The annual community gathering was held on Saturday, April 29, and was organized by various organizations from Humboldt County, primarily the Old Town Eureka Rotary Club. They’ve been involved with the Rhododendron Parade for at least 30 years, and have been the primary organizers of the annual celebration for the past decade. Old Town Rotary Club President Amanda Moxon takes pride in her organization’s involvement with the community event, especially bringing back the Parade post-COVID.

    “Last year was the first year [after the pandemic],” Moxon said. “We’re getting back to our pre-COVID activity. It’s just so good to see everybody out and volunteering their time to make [the parade] happen.”

    The Grand Marshal of the parade is a notable person who rides in an open car in the front of the parade to honor them. This year’s Grand Marshall was owner of Shafer’s Ace Hardware, Jack Reike, along with his wife Michele Reike.

    “I’m super proud of my husband,” Michele Reike said while preparing for the parade to begin. “We’re excited to be here and involved in this longtime community event.”

    The Reikes led the parade in their crimson red 2013 60th Anniversary Corvette along with their grandchildren tossing toys to the crowd. When asked about how he became Grand Marshal, Reike remained humble.

    “Just years of helping out in the community,” Jack Reike said, smiling at his Corvette. “I really appreciate [Rotary] asking me.”

    Photo by Alex Anderson | Marching Lumberjacks march past the Rhododendron Parade stage in celebration of hometown hero’s.
    Photo by Alex Anderson | Marching Lumberjack’s head down H St. in formation for the Rhododendron parade.
    Photo by Alex Anderson | A line of classic cars slowly strolling down H St. for the Eureka Rhododendron Parade on April 29.

    The Reike’s appointment to Grand Marshal follows the Rhododendron Parade’s 2023 theme of Hometown Heroes, celebrating individuals like the Reikes who have spent years in service to the community. There were a plethora of other people participating in the parade that supported the communities. Organizations ranging from the children’s service group the Shriner’s to emergency responders such as emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

    Paige Hannemann is an EMT with City Ambulance of Eureka. She along with her team were ecstatic to interact with the Humboldt community in a positive way.

    “We’re excited to see the community in a better light than we normally do,” Hannemann said. “We see people in the worst days of their lives. It’s nice to see them on their good days and when they’re happy.”

    Other local heroes were present that provide sanctuary to those in need for those who walk on more than two feet such as Sequoia Humane Society, a no-kill shelter. They were being led in part by Tracy Lizento, a volunteer present with her own rescue, 16 year-old precious. Lizento was happy to be at the parade to represent pets in need, and to educate the community on proper care.

    “We’re excited to be here and to show our animals,” Lizento said. And to let everyone know they need to neuter their pets.“

    There was no shortage of the variety of methods the parade participants used to mobilize themselves throughout the Eureka streets. There were riders in horse-drawn carriages, motorized trolleys, an appearance by Smokey the Bear in a Forestry truck, a variety of vintage vehicles including VW Buses, and of course the classic method of human transportation was reserved for the marching bands, walking. 

    The Rhododendron Parade also marks the final performance of the semester for the Cal Poly Humboldt’s marching band, The Marching Lumberjacks. Brand new band member Sammie Malcom led the Marching Lumberjacks as their Axe Major.

    “This is my first year,” Malcolm said while reflecting before the parade. “Now I’m leading it which is pretty crazy.”

    General Manager Chris Perez was proud to continue the Marching Lumberjack’s participation in the parade following the University’s transition to Cal Poly Humboldt and to serve an important role in the celebration.

    “It’s been tradition,” Perez said. “ We’ve been doing this since we were Humboldt State. [Marching Lumberjacks] gets the last position of the parade because we’re the anchor”

    Mellophone player Michael Caban enjoyed being able to play one last time with graduating seniors, and having his last performance of the year be with an interactive crowd and great bandmates. 

    “It’s always fun performing with the Lumberjacks,” Caban said. “And this wasn’t the exception. We’re an energetic group.”

  • Arcata Plaza hosts a Halloween car parade

    Arcata Plaza hosts a Halloween car parade

    Arcata plaza adjusts to a new, safe way for families to trick or treat on Halloween.

    Arcata has adapted to COVID-19 guidelines in order to host a Spooky Plaza car parade in support of a social distant Halloween. Arcata Main Street is a non-profit organization hosting this year’s COVID-19 friendly, Halloween in Arcata Plaza.

    The car parade will be hosted at Arcata Plaza on Oct. 31 from 7 to 11 p.m. All the spooky features and characters can be seen while inside the vehicle.

    Each part of the inner sidewalk of the plaza will have a different theme with characters and decorations. The event was thought of in late August and planned through September.

    Rose Shoshanna Anthony a consultant and volunteer with Arcata Main Street assured people it will be safe to participate as long as community members follow guidelines and protocols.

    “The event is to substitute for our usual Trick or Treat on the Plaza that gathers several thousand people over the course of several hours,” Shoshanna said. “So this time we have a decorated plaza with a limited number of volunteers being characters on the plaza and then people drive around.”

    To discourage people from the outer sidewalks from walking over the barricades into the plaza spooky area, monitored volunteers and traffic control have been implemented to make sure the event stays in accordance with COVID-19 protocol.

    The drives starts on the corner of the Tri County bank and finishes by exiting at the Jacoby Storehouse.

    Ceva Courtemanche, board member and vice president for Arcata Main Street, stated that the non-profit organization was determined to host a Halloween event.

    “We wanted to not fully give up on Halloween but we wanted to make sure it was gonna be safe for everybody,” Courtemanche said.”So, we put together a plan of doing an open spooky haunted house where participants will be driving in their vehicles around the plaza.”

    Lee Lazon, a volunteer for Arcata Main Street, has been working on graveyard and spider props for the haunted drive-by.

    “This year has been anything but normal and this is a favorite event for a lot of people and families,” Lazon said. “So, I think a lot of people are very interested just because there’s an opportunity to bring back at least a little bit of normal.”

    For more information about the Spooky Plaza car parade visit Arcata Mainstreet.com and check out their Facebook for info on signing up to volunteer.