2025.09.03 | FFRP Parade Entry Takes Home the Sweepstakes Award!

pictures of costumed FFRP volunteers

The 75th Pinedorado Days, hosted by the Lions Club, kicked off in true Cambria style—with a lively, colorful parade!  Right in the mix was the Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve spreading smiles and showcasing just how much they love what they do.

     Rolling in on a creatively decked-out “float” driven by the ever-steady Michael Thomas, FFRP’s entry featured about 30 enthusiastic participants—including one unforgettable swarm of monarch butterflies fluttering through the crowd and handing out hundreds of butterfly wands: Andrea Helms, Annika Keeley, Cathleen Campe, Dianne Anderson, Joanne Dean-Freemire, Judy Martinez, Shari Robasciotti, Sonja Runyan, Sue Kwasny, Kirstin Nielsen, and Wende Nielsen.

     The Ranch Stewardship Team brought their signature style with:

  • Mary Maher and Jon Martinez as dedicated Trash Picker Uppers
  • Lance Nielsen and Corbin Runyan as the tool-toting Wacky Wednesday Weeders
  • Thom Lacie and Paul Charell representing the ever-handy Trail Team

     Then came the wild side—literally!  A delightfully costumed crew of local flora and fauna strutted their stuff:

  • Deb Josephson as a resilient Black Seed Mustard
  • Marvin Josephson as a prickly Bull Thistle
  • Kenna Morris as a mischievous, nocturnal Woodrat
  • Susan Chase as a melodic White Crowned Sparrow
  • Tom Loganbill as a chatterbox Gray Squirrel
  • Nancy Lacie as a majestic Pelican in flight
  • Felicia Bader as a sly Skunk
  • Mark Meeks as a fierce Raptor
  • Kitty Connolly as a cheerful Tidy Tips wildflower
  • Daniel Runyan as a camera-happy Tourist
  • Noah Runyan as a unicycling Turkey Vulture

     All led by Brian Morgan, donning moss and mushrooms as the magical Wood Elf of the forest.  And at the heart of it all, Mother Nature herself, portrayed with grace and charm by the incomparable Dinah Lundbeck.

     Angie Morgan and Paula Meeks made sure we felt welcome afterwards at the FFRP office where Greenspace joined in to mark the end of another delightful parade.

     The judges were clearly as enchanted as the spectators—FFRP’s creativity, enthusiasm, and commitment to the Ranch earned them the Sweepstakes Award, the parade’s highest honor.  What a celebration!

Coming up next:
Do not miss the FFRP Pop-Up Sale this Saturday, September 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the south entrance to the Bluff Trail.
Support the mission—Wear the merch!

Article first published in https://cambriaca.org/