By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY – Staff Writer

Crestline’s Jamboree Days is arriving on Saturday, July 1. The theme for this year’s 58th annual Jamboree Days is “Mountain Strong” to celebrate the resilience of the mountain communities in the wake of this year’s devastating winter storms.

Now is the time to get your ideas into motion to create the perfect float for the parade. Once again, the Mountain Fifes & Drums will be entertaining the parade goers and Goodwin’s Market has suggested they will have a surprise entry this time, very different from previous years.

The parade will travel through Crestline from Top Town, moving east along Crest Forest Drive, beginning at the fire station. At Triangle Park, the parade will turn down Fern Drive, meeting up with Lake Drive. Then the parade units will and continue down Lake, past Knapps Cutoff, staying on Lake Drive, turning with the road at the Shell station and continuing through Lake Gregory Village to Lake Gregory, where the parade units will disband at Lake Gregory Drive.

All groups, organizations and people who have cool, antique or unique cars, trucks or other vehicles should join and become a part of the parade. Or bring your bicycle friends and make a unit, and marching groups are always welcomed. It only costs $25 per entry for an individual or nonprofit group and $40 for a business to become a part of the parade. Entries should decorate their vehicle or walking group with this year’s theme and may vie for one of the six trophies that will be awarded. Be ready to describe the parade entry when signing up so the announcers can properly describe it when it passes by on the parade route.

When signing up for the parade, choose which category your entry should be considered in for an award.

The Americana Trophy is presented to the most outstanding depiction of national treasures and traditions.

The Arthur Gregory Trophy is for the most outstanding float built and decorated by volunteers from a community or nonprofit organization.

The Charles S. Mann Public Spirit Trophy is for the most outstanding presentation from a commercial participant.

The Showmanship Trophy is presented to those who show the most outstanding display of showmanship and entertainment.

The Theme Trophy is for the most outstanding presentation of the Jamboree Days theme of “Mountain Strong.”

The Judges Trophy is chosen for the most outstanding float design that makes a dramatic impact on the judges.

There is no cost to attend the parade; just get to your chosen location to watch the parade before the it starts in that area of town, as there will be road closures. Highway 138 to Top Town should be avoided during the parade from 10 a.m. to approximately 11 a.m. The parade begins at 10 a.m. and lasts for about an hour past any one point, with the entire parade over by noon.

There will be announcers at several locations along the parade route. Gigi Bannister will be describing the parade in Top Town on Crest Forest Drive, near west of Highway 138. At Lake Drive at the corner of Knapps Cutoff, actor and Three Marm Brewery owner Andrew Divoff will be announcing. At Higher Grounds Coffee House on Lake Drive will be ever-popular parade announcer and school board president Bill Mellinger. At the corner of Lake Drive and Thousand Pines Road, on the Cozy Cabin Real Estate’s balcony, will be KQLH-FM Radio contributor and Alpine Mountaineer reporter Douglas W. Motley, aka Uncle Mott. High above and across from the Rim Bowling Center will be author, historian and Alpine Mountaineer writer Rhea-Frances Tetley. Near the San Moritz Real Estate office will be announcer Ed Pattinson, ending out the parade. The parade announcing booths are sponsored by KOLA-FM Radio.

There will be four designated VIP seating spots in shaded areas along the route, with refreshments at several locations for $20 a seat available, in advance, at www.Jamboreedays.com.

The deadline to sign up for parade entries is coming up quickly on Friday, June 23. This will enable the announcers to get their scripts ready and to line up the entries into a fun order.

In addition to the parade, there will be a Kid’s Fun Zone at the tennis courts all day with KOLA-FM doing live remotes from the location with bounce houses, games and other fun events all day. The Beer Garden will be open in the Arrowhead Credit Union parking lot. There will be vendors all though town and the stores and restaurants will be open for your shopping fun. Lake Gregory beach will also be open for water-sports fun all weekend long.

That Saturday evening there will be fireworks shot over Lake Gregory at 9 p.m. The doors to the beach area will open around 6 p.m. for viewers to pick out a spot to watch them from. Lake Gregory Drive will not be closed to traffic this year for seating.

On Monday, July 3, the free Community Picnic will take place at the Meadow by San Moritz Lodge. There will be family-friendly activities, including picnicking for free or folks can buy from one of the food trucks. There will be bounce houses, gunnysack and three-legged races, watermelon-eating contests, cornhole, face-painting, balloon animals and craft vendors. All parking and activities are free to the public, except purchases.

Jamboreedays.com is the site to find out more details about the exciting upcoming Jamboree Days activities in Crestline.