'Thank you' parade today for Angora fire responders

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - With only one major road, South Lake Tahoe may not seem a likely spot for a parade.

But today, Lake Tahoe Boulevard becomes the parade route to honor firefighters, police and other officials who helped fight the Angora fire.

The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and the Lake Tahoe Visitors Association are sponsoring the "Thank you" parade that will start at Park Avenue near Stateline and proceed down Lake Tahoe Boulevard to the "Y."

Angora firefighters went above and beyond the call of duty to save homes in the North Upper Truckee and Gardner Mountain areas, said Duane Wallace, board member of the South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce. Some firefighters lost their own homes as they kept the blaze from consuming others, Wallace added.

"This is an opportunity to look the people who saved our homes and our community in the eye and say 'thank you,'" he said.

The parade will have no floats, but fire engines, police cars, trolleys and a bagpipe player will participate. There will be no speeches and no politicians, said former mayor of South Lake Tahoe Tom Davis, who helped organize the parade.

"Bring banners, noise makers, and don't worry about the TRPA," Davis said.

If you go

Organizers encourage everyone in the community to line Lake Tahoe Boulevard for the festivities.

Parade participants will organize in the back parking lot of the Horizon Casino Resort at 8:15 a.m. The parade will start at 9 a.m., continue by Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, then take a right at Highway 50 and head down Lake Tahoe Boulevard to the "Y." The parade will not last very long, so residents are urged to get out early.

For information, call Wallace at (530) 545-3563; Tom Davis, (530) 545-1168; or Nicole Cox, (775) 588-5900, ext. 309.