Weird and wonderful Fool’s Parade in Occidental marches on after 2-year pandemic hiatus

With hips wiggling, batons waving, stilts strutting and all manner of fanciful, colorful outfits, accessories and bangles jangling, the unique and iconic Fool’s Parade marched back Saturday into Occidental amid the West County redwood trees after a two-year haitus forced by the pandemic.

By all accounts the parade, organized by the Occidental Center for the Arts was a success, with one of the largest turnouts many veteran organizers could remember. Though billed on a poster as the 17th annual Fool’s Parade, a precise history of the event and its origins was difficult for a reporter to pin down as jazz music played, parade-goers danced and general silliness ruled the day.

“It's been different things different years but the core is always a parade through town,” said Patrick Fanning, president of the center’s board, “a parade of fools.”

Parade marchers Saturday were led by The Hubbub Club brass band, a volunteer community group dedicated to New Orleans-style street jazz that featured at least 16 musicians, according to band member Dan Bosch of Sebastopol, plus second-line dancers who followed behind the players. The Hubbub Club has been playing the event since 2008, Fanning said.

Several organizers trace the roots of the Fool’s Parade to the 1970s, when musician, writer and Occidental persona Ramón Sender would march down the street costumed as Zero the Clown, rallying marchers behind him and issuing “tickets” to those who wouldn’t laugh at his jokes.

“It grew, until everybody thought it was a great idea to put on a costume and be silly on a particular day,” said Diane Masura, a 79-year-old Occidental resident.

Traditionally held the Saturday after April Fools Day, the 2020 parade was canceled as the COVID-19 pandemic roared into high, frightening gear. In 2021, the club kept the parade canceled in a continued effort to tamp the virus’ spread. This year, OCA executive director Tina Marchetti said it was a scramble to get the event ramped up, with Sonoma County’s permit approval for the parade coming in only Friday. The resulting turnout on a warm early spring day under clear, sunny skies, was more than worth the hustle, she said.

“I knew that people were so ready for this,” Marchetti said.

Indeed, they were.

"When else can I put my ‘do’ on?” asked Annie Floy Lovell, 67, of Guerneville who sported orange foam hair strands wrapped around large pink hair rollers, asked. Lovell has been attending the event for a decade or more, she said, and noted that “it’s fabulous” to be back.

“I didn’t see anyone without a smile on their face,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @AndrewGraham88