NEVADA CITY Very first parade

Fourth of July 1972, was the first parade Sparky was ever in. The parade was in Nevada City and he drove Smokey the Bear down Broad Street aboard White Cloud Engine 524. For the White Cloud crew this was a pleasant out of the ordinary treat from their normal duties of being fire fighters for the United States Forest Se vice. While Smokey was a regular to the Fourth of July Parade he normally rode in a Prevention Officer's pickup. To have a fire engine to transport Smokey was rare. White Cloud Guard Station is some eight miles east of Nevada City on Cal State Highway 20 and that is were the crew had spent the last two days before spit and polishing 524. Number 524 was a typical tanker fire truck of that era. Most all were a two and a half ton flatbed International truck. On the flat bed was placed a slip-on unit that contained a 300-gallon water tank. Which is not a lot by any standards, but you must remember that the Forest Service puts out fires with a shovel. Surrounding the water tank was compartments that held all your needs, a hard line hose reel that was hooked to a pump. And finally right behind the cab was a bench seat that held three crew members.In the cab was the Foreman and a Tank Truck Operator or better known as TTO. Sparky was the TTO. Parking on West Broad Street under no shade on what would be a scorching day even by early July standards Smokey found shade. Soon Smokey's head came off to expose a sweat drenched crew member. After hydrogenating Smokey we were off down Broad waving and ringing the siren. Stop and go all the way made the journey a long and very hot one. The parade could not come soon enough for Smokey who almost passed out inside that fur suit ! Back at White Cloud Smokey got to set in the shade for the rest of the day.

Grand Marshal

1976

pen, ink and watercolor

Grand Marshal Harold T. " Bizz " Johnson was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1959 until 1980. First in California's 2nd congressional district and finally in the 1st congressional district. He was a congressional pork king, and he was ours ! For those efforts, Highway 65 from Roseville to Lincoln is named the Harold T. Bizz Johnson Expressway. Also the interchange at U.S. 101 and State Route 92 is named the Harold T.Bizz Johnson Interchange.