Gallery of Rohnert Park's 50th Anniversary Parade

They say everybody loves a parade, and no one more so than the people of Rohnert Park on the 50th anniversary of their city.

For almost two hours the schools, businesses, clubs and organizations of the "friendly city" marched down Snyder Lane, from at at , showing off their civic pride before an appreciate audience of their neighbors.

It started, as these things do, with a color guard of veterans marching somberly beneath morning clouds and ended with a Rohnert Park Disposal flatbed truck, with the Ratto family waving happily beneath the day's sunny skies; and the applause greeted them all.

Seemingly every mayor in the town's history, from Pete Callinan to Jake Mackenzie, were among the early units in the parade - most riding with family in convertibles, though Mackenzie kept to his usual mode of two-wheel transportation with a big wave.

They were followed by ever-more influential public figures, including County Supervisors Shirlee Zane and David Rabbitt, and U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson. See the photographs of these luminaries and many other paraders in the accompanying gallery.

In front of the at Snyder and the Expressway, morning personality "Dr. Doug" Dodds from KTRY radio introduced the participating units, keeping the enthusiasm level high throughout.  

With the marching bands from every secondary school in the area, football teams from freshman to semi-pro, cheerleaders and clubs, and proud parents of elementary schools - among many other parade participants, including every bank in town - the river of Rohnert Park's best ran wide.

Almost dead center in the parade was the Rancho Cotate football squad, tough and proud in their white jerseys, fresh off their 39-0 trouncing of Petaluma the night before. In fact the parade doubled as Rancho's homecoming parade. Ironically, missing from the parade was any representation from Sonoma State, whose 1960 founding certainly had something to do with Rohnert Park's own genesis.

Instead, many of the schools and other groups were themselves celebrating their semicentennial as well,  since Rohnert Park was concocted in 1962 from street to steeple, organized alphabetically, incorporated with barely over 2,000 people and now home to over 40,000.

Though some may criticize Rohnert Park's "vanilla" reputation, both in ethnic composition and cultural activity, it was a diverse and affectionate crowd that watched the parade, and took part as well. The friendly city may be built around families and friendships, but there's nothing wrong with that - at any age.

Enjoy the many photographs taken from this morning's parade, and please add your own to our public Patch gallery - it's the "friendly" thing to do!