I think the SCV Parade yesterday was fantastic. I had last marched in the parade in 1967. Things have changed just a little bit.

First big change: We’re a city now. But isn’t it great that we’re still rural enough that two members of City Council were in a horse-drawn carriage, another was riding a horse, yet another was in the back of a Jeep standing and sitting, while just a couple a entries back was the fifth council member, driving a truck? A big truck. A huge truck. Think semi-truck. Maybe next year a member of council will drive a tractor. That would round out the list quite well.

Thanks to all the folks who waved at me. I know, you were really waving at Councilman Dante Acosta and his wife, but it was me and my Jeep. We played the Beach Boys CD the whole parade. I used to like that group.

So as everything else about the parade was well planned and accomplished after the last float and politician passed and after all the parade was gone and after all the folks watching had cleared the streets, Main Street remained closed. Try and get to lunch at the Egg Plantation when you’re on the east side of Main Street after the parade.

Just wonder why a couple of streets couldn’t have opened sooner so that traffic could flow a little better. Really, look at the Rose Parade. Cars and people flood the streets together minutes after that last float passes. Can we try that here?

Second big change: The “All-Valley High School Marching Band” sounded great. I was in the band once. Only we called it the Hart High marching band. Since Hart was the only high school in the SCV, it was the “All-Valley” band of its day. The “uniform” hasn’t changed much at all. Still jeans and a white T-shirt. Only now the shirts have writing on them. (And one sleeve isn’t stretched out from rolling a pack of cigarettes in it.)

Did you see and hear the fife and drum corps in colonial uniforms? How neat is that? Thought I was in Williamsburg or Yorktown, Va. Only there wasn’t any humidity.

I want to thank the Vietnam Vets at Hart Park in the early morning who had coffee to rescue me from caffeine withdrawal. This old submariner was woefully inept in getting started for the parade. Coffee was the best.

As we were lining up at Hart Park this morning, I found myself parked near the politicians. I was thinking I would hear some great stuff for this column. Nope. I did get to see maybe half of Buck McKeon’s grandkids. Had a nice conversation with him, too. About retirement, no less.

Did they keep quiet because I was listening? Hmm?

So I don’t have great new material for all y’all. No new scandals from Washington, Sacramento, Los Angeles or that place in Valencia where they hold council meetings.

Just a nice, pleasant morning at the parade.

And then I hit “play” and the Beach Boys started … Did I tell you I used to like that group?

Darryl Manzer grew up in the Pico Canyon oil town of Mentryville in the 1960s and attended Hart High School. After a career in the U.S. Navy he returned to live in the Santa Clarita Valley. He can be reached at dmanzer@scvhistory.com and his commentaries are archived at DManzer.com. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].