To the editor:

An estimated 300 to 400 residents and visitors attended this year’s Harborside Parade on May 10 in Freeland.

The parade was filled with the unexpected — starting with a Naval Air Station Whidbey Island EA-6B and MH-60S fly over to performances by the Meridian Middle/High School Marching Band, heritage dancing by the Young Skandia Dansers and a martial arts display performed by Tiger Martial Arts — no rock was left unturned.

With three car clubs, a free SeaTac Shuttle to the parade from Freeland Park, and shopping up and down Main Street everyone had fun.

The chamber of commerce would like to recognize those “behind the scenes” people who contributed to the success of this event: Ace Hardware for loaning us garbage cans and giving a discount on bedding plants and pots to our parade participants and storefront decorating contestants; Diamond Rentals for providing portapotties at no cost for the second year in a row; Lind’s for once again supplying balloon bouquets at a discounted rate to parade participants and giving us balloons for our signage; Windermere Real Estate/South Whidbey for loaning us their sandwich boards; the Boy Scouts who rescued us by helping to put up roadblocks; and our advertising sponsors: Ace Hardware, China City, Houdini’s Billards, Second Chance, Serious Auto Body, Sound Mortgage Group, State Farm Insurance, US Bank, Whidbey SeaTac Shuttle, Whidbey Island Bank, Whidbey Retreats and Whidbey Vision Care.

A special “thank you” to Whidbey Vision Care for their financial donation toward street signage; to SeaTac Shuttle for providing a parade shuttle to/from Freeland Park; Dr. Craig Weinston from the Chiropractic Zone for being his silly self as our MC and Charlie Moore from Cascade Properties and DJ’s Unlimited for loaning us his sound equipment.

A very special “thank you” to Jack Ng from China City; Cliff Bjork at Interstate Label and Rick Gauger at Skagit Farmer’s Supply for letting us use their parking lots — we really couldn’t have had the parade without your support.

Last but not least, a heartfelt “thank you” to the parade committee who spent week after week and hour after hour putting this event together: Charlona Sawyer from Creative Advertising Solutions, Lyn Gaustad from Whidbey Vision Care; Marian Myszkowski from Goosefoot; Susie Yeilding from Sound Mortgage; and Renate Audette from our Chamber of Commerce/Visitor’s Bureau.

The list could go on but to everyone that participated in the parade, thank you so much for coming together to make this parade such a successful event for the Freeland community and we hope you’ll join us again for next year’s parade on May 9, 2009.

Freeland Chamber

of Commerce