The Solstice Celebrated Island Style
June 25, 2013
This year’s solstice, celebrated last Saturday on the island, brought the annual extravaganza to a larger crowd than ever seen before. Locals and guests of Orcas alike flocked to the sidewalks to clap, gawk at, and dance along with the parade-goers, decked out in their usual Solstice-best. Acts we’ve seen before included the fairies, flower-pots, stilt people, Chinese dragon, and giant sun giving out hugs to a lucky few.
The flower pots
There were of course additions to the parade as well, perhaps the most creative of which was the roller coaster crew, who donned their own construction of cardboard seats, foam floaty bracing straps, and wiggly legs in a seated position. Every few minutes as they dilly-dallied along, the crew would throw up their arms in unison and scream their best roller-coaster-thrilling screams, which were immediately countered by the loud laughter of the crowd at their silliness.
What roller coasters have in common with the solstice is up for debate, but the eccentric, colorful costumes and creativity of these islanders was appreciated by all, regardless. In fact, one of the few recurring themes of this annual parade is the unique, unrelated characters that parade-walkers choose to embody. Whether you want to be a fish with dark plum lipstick or protest coal ships in the San Juan straits, anyone is welcome to strut their stuff at the celebration of the start of summer, the longest day of the year, and the end (only nominally in the Northwest) of the cold and rainy season.
This year’s solstice, celebrated last Saturday on the island, brought the annual extravaganza to a larger crowd than ever seen before. Locals and guests of Orcas alike flocked to the sidewalks to clap, gawk at, and dance along with the parade-goers, decked out in their usual Solstice-best. Acts we’ve seen before included the fairies, flower-pots, stilt people, Chinese dragon, and giant sun giving out hugs to a lucky few.
The flower pots
There were of course additions to the parade as well, perhaps the most creative of which was the roller coaster crew, who donned their own construction of cardboard seats, foam floaty bracing straps, and wiggly legs in a seated position. Every few minutes as they dilly-dallied along, the crew would throw up their arms in unison and scream their best roller-coaster-thrilling screams, which were immediately countered by the loud laughter of the crowd at their silliness.
The roller coaster crew
What roller coasters have in common with the solstice is up for debate, but the eccentric, colorful costumes and creativity of these islanders was appreciated by all, regardless. In fact, one of the few recurring themes of this annual parade is the unique, unrelated characters that parade-walkers choose to embody. Whether you want to be a fish with dark plum lipstick or protest coal ships in the San Juan straits, anyone is welcome to strut their stuff at the celebration of the start of summer, the longest day of the year, and the end (only nominally in the Northwest) of the cold and rainy season.
A young dragon
An elaborate mask and the ladies in pink
The stilts girls
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