Best feet forward at the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands

o What: The 46th annual Hazel Dell Parade of Bands.

o When: 10:30 a.m. May 15.

o here: The parade starts at Fire District 6, Station One, 8800 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave., Vancouver, and continues south on Northeast Hazel Dell Avenue to Northeast 63rd Street, crosses the bridge to Highway 99, heads north on Highway 99 and ends at Northeast 78th Street.

o Cost: Free.

o Information: http://www.hdscba.org.

o Lions’ Club breakfast, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. May 15 at Fire District No. 6, Station No. 1, 8800 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave.; cost is $6, $5.50 for children ages 6-12 and seniors, free to children 5 and younger.

o Parade Run/Walk, 10 a.m. May 15, starting at the Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Store, 9301 N.E. Fifth Ave., Suite 102, and following the 2.5 mile parade route; cost is $30, $10 for children 15 and younger.

There will be the usual assortment of horses and scout troops and Little League teams and antique cars and old tractors and politicians and Shriners and local entrepreneurs on floats — but none of those ever leave doubt about the real focus of the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands. Hint: The name says it all.

This annual event, in the community just north of Vancouver’s city limits, is nearing a half-century in age. At this point, for its 46th parade, the celebration is distinguished not by what is different every year, but what remains the same: Thousands of local kids — with the pageantry of their band uniforms and baton twirlers and dance teams and the shiny brass instruments and the pounding percussion — marching through the main streets of Hazel Dell, playing upbeat music while tens of thousands of spectators cheer them on.

That formula just continues to work, year after year, said Dellan Redjou, chairwoman of the event. “For many middle school and high school kids around here,” she added, “this is their only opportunity to get a flavor of what a marching band is all about.”

The parade hosts easily the largest collection of school bands each year in Southwest Washington, gaining a statewide reputation for the heavy commitment. That will include bands from Ridgefield, Skyview, Hockinson, Hudson’s Bay, Prairie, Heritage and Fort Vancouver high schools as well as View Ridge, Hockinson, Centennial, Frontier, Maple Grove, Chief Umtuch, Discovery, Alki, Thomas Jefferson, Pleasant Valley, Gaiser, McLoughlin, Laurin, Pacific and Jason Lee middle schools.

Participation has been high, pushing record levels, for the past couple of years, Redjou said, with about 25 bands or more routinely performing. Each band typically includes 100 to 200 kids, meaning at least 3,000 to 3,500 Clark County teens march in this display. Family members and friends help to boost the crowd, which typically ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 people, depending on weather.

The parade will once again offer its pancake breakfast beforehand, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Fire District No. 6, Station No. 1.

This year, it will add a run/walk along the parade route, starting at 10 a.m., with proceeds to benefit Bridge the Gap, an outreach program designed to help abused and neglected children in Clark County. The official parade starts 30 minutes later. Retiring U.S. Rep. Brian Baird will be the grand marshal, and the event will have a pirate theme, which includes a “treasure hunt” through various Hazel Dell businesses.

There will be a lot of different activities going on throughout the morning, but the main attraction remains undisputed, Redjou said.

“The music is just fabulous. It’s exciting,” she said. “All of the other things are interesting and fun as well. But I just love to listen to that music.”