Keeping them in line | Crescent City California News, Sports ...

Procession can be challenging to keep in order

Harlan Watkins paints the cannon outside the Historical Society, which will be fired to announce the start of Monday?s parade. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

For more than 30 years a local attorney has taken on the task of making sure entrants in the Fourth of July parade are as organized as possible before filling the streets with red, white and blue fanfare.

Bob Cochran said he was inspired to help organize the parade after a less than stellar experience many years ago.

Cochran said he was part of the Lighthouse Repertory Theatre?s float, about 70 entries into the lineup more than 30 years ago. He said when he got to the float?s designated space, the parade lineup was a complete mess and everyone was out of place.

?We got there and no one knew where to go,? Cochran said. ?I thought ?this has got to be easier to organize than this.??

It was then Cochran decided to start volunteering his time to streamline the pre-parade process. He now has a system that takes into consideration the number of entrants and the length of each.

?I get there early in the morning and walk the entire lineup route and put the numbers on the pavement,? Cochran said.

Chalk lines and numbers alert participants to their starting location. Cochran said he makes sure to leave enough space for each entrant and that participants are always asked to write down the length of their entry when they sign up.

?For about a 40-foot float, I pace off 15 paces,? Cochran said.

The system works well but it isn?t fool-proof. Sometimes people don?t know how long their entry is going to be or they forget to sign up.

?It?s always a problem and it happens every year,? Cochran said. ?If somebody shows up, we just put them at the end.?

Some of the larger entries, such as fire trucks are diverted to side streets until the parade starts flowing. Cochran said they just pull into their spot in the route as it comes up. He said this is just one way he?s learned to deal with space issues.

?We?ve got a lot of little techniques for correcting problems,? Cochran said.

Most of the time, each unit is in place and people can simply follow the entry in front of them to stay in line. Cochran said if anyone complains, he designates them as a helper for next year. He said people have learned not to gripe so as to avoid that consequence.

This year, Cochran said the parade has 85 judged entries and that the theme is ?It?s a Grand Old Flag.? The grand marshal of the parade Jerry Cochran, Bob Cochran?s brother.

Bob Cochran said it?s always fun seeing familiar faces each year in the parade and that he looks forward to the festivities.

?The spirit of the parade is real upbeat and a lot of fun to be part of,? Cochran said. ?I make a point of being here on the Fourth because I enjoy doing this.?

He noted the parade is just one part of the Fourth of July festivities and credited the Crescent City/Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce for its efforts in organizing everything.

?It?s a huge task for them to take on,? Cochran said.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. and is sponsored by Lucky 7 Casino/Smith River Rancheria and Sutter Coast Hospital. Cochran said participants should start lining up around 8:30 a.m.

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Source: http://www.triplicate.com/20110705112450/News/Local-News/Keeping-them-in-line

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