Lakefair Grand Parade brings thousands together to celebrate community spirit

Holding up her blue sequined gown in 90-degree heat, Lakefair queen Daynniella-Faye Hansen spun around to “Cotton Eye Joe” as she and fellow princesses in the royalty court held a dance party ahead of Saturday’s Lakefair Grand Parade in Olympia.

Hansen, who was crowned in February, has spent the past few months helping prepare for the parade and festival. As queen, she’s stood on the Lakefair float — which features pink cherry blossom trees and the state Capitol building — through all the out-of-town parades the organization has attended so far.

For Hansen, Capital Lakefair has given her the chance to really interact with the community, which she said she didn’t do much before being crowned.

“I have been super involved in the community, which I have found as such a blessing to me because the community itself is very diverse and I myself am part of the community of Olympia,” Hansen said. “I want to give back to it as much as possible.”

Despite the heat, thousands gathered on sidewalks, front lawns and porches in the South Capitol neighborhood to watch the parade, a longstanding tradition for the festival. In its 62nd year, it is still one of the largest in the region, and featured 76 entries this year.

In her 10 years as part of Lakefair, Karen Griggs has now been president four times. She has come to almost every grand parade since it began in 1959, and likes to see how much the community enjoys it.

“Going down the parade route and seeing everybody, seeing the crowds, that’s always been fun,” she said.

The Lakefair parade’s participants include a mix of community organizations and out-of-town visitors, Griggs said. It is part of Northwest Festival Hosting, which allows resource sharing between member festivals. This year, the parade featured floats from across the region — and two from Canada.

John Danielson, prime minister of the Royal Rosarians in Portland, Oregon, came to Capital Lakefair to represent the Royal Rosarian Foundation. The foundation, which has had a float in the parade for at least the last 15 years, raises money for both the organization and field trips for schools in multiple Oregon cities.

The organization’s float, which is new for this year, was decked out in red roses and featured a garden-scape complete with a lawn and fountain. Danielson said the Rosarians enjoy coming back year after year and interacting with different communities.

“We’re getting the word out about our community, and we’re also finding out about the other communities and supporting Olympia’s festival,” he said. “And then, people from Olympia come to Portland during our festival.”

Meagan Renick, who coordinated Capital Lakefair’s car show, also turned out for the parade, watching over Thurston County Corvettes, Mustangs West, Corvettes de Olympia and some cars carrying dignitaries.

Renick’s 1976 Corvette from high school drove in the parade. When she was 18, she changed the bylaws in Corvettes de Olympia to lower the minimum joining age, and has been involved in the car community since then. Lakefair offers a unique opportunity for her to give back to the community.

“Charities are near and dear to my heart, so whenever I can make it cross over where it’s fun with cars and charities, that just hits multiple points for me,” Renick said.

Retired broadcaster Dick Pust, this year’s parade grand marshal, has sat through almost every single parade, in downpour or extreme heat. The parade holds many good memories for him, and he enjoys being outside and seeing familiar faces.

“Lakefair continues, year after year after year, and it’s just a great community event that everybody can enjoy, no matter what your politics, what your status — it’s for everybody,” he said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story had the incorrect name for Corvettes de Olympia car club.