The late Dick Streissguth spent most of his life serving Hazel Dell, the community he called home, so it’s fitting that the first local parade to proceed without him is themed “Celebrating Service.” That’s about the same as celebrating the man himself.
Streissguth’s personal fleet of one dozen classic fire engines and ladder trucks is familiar to anyone who has ever attended the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands — or any other local parade. He started collecting the big, red machines in 1985. His proud haul — literally — that year was a 1927 Arhens-Fox fire engine that mouldered in a Colorado field for 40 years before Streissguth and his wife, Marilyn, bought it and dragged it home … in a dump truck.
“A person would be smarter to collect thimbles,” he admitted to The Columbian in 2000, “but I just have a thing for these engines.”
Totally understandable. Streissguth devoted 61 years of his 86-year life to saving local lives and property. He was an original volunteer, in 1954, of Hazel Dell’s first, voter-approved fire protection district. He became assistant chief of Clark County Fire District 6 in 1967 and full-time fire chief in 1981. Even after he retired, he remained a member of the district’s board of commissioners through 1993.
If You Go
• What: 52nd annual Hazel Dell Parade of Bands. (It is preceded by the Lions Club breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at the fire station; $6.50; $5.50 seniors and ages 5 and older.)
• When: 10:30 a.m. May 21.
• Where: Starts from Clark County Fire District 6, 8800 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave., Vancouver.
• Information: http://hdscba.org/52nd-annual-hazel-dell-parade-of-bands
He also was a board member of the People’s Credit Union, the Clark County Fair and the Hazel Dell/Salmon Creek Business Association. And he was a chief organizer of the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands, which he and his large family loved to lead on those many firefighting museum pieces.
In fact, Streissguth loved Hazel Dell so much that he once pressed fellow residents to take a serious leap into the future: voting to vault from an unincorporated, unevenly developed suburb of Vancouver to Washington’s newest incorporated city. That vote, held in November 1997, went down to a big defeat, and Hazel Dell is still Hazel Dell.
There’s one terribly tragic twist to the Streissguth fire engine collection: On Dec. 5, 2009, Streissguth’s 45-year-old son, Rick, himself a District 6 firefighter, and 49-year-old son-in-law, Doug Jacobsen of Ridgefield, were both killed in a single-car crash while driving to Bozeman, Mont., to pick up another vintage engine and bring it home.
Streissguth himself died in December at age 86. In his honor, the entire Streissguth family has been named the collective grand marshal of their 52nd annual, home-turf parade.
Brad Lothspeich, a parade co-chair and District 6 commissioner, said “Celebrating Service” applies to everyone who contributes to a better Hazel Dell, from teachers and police to the utility technicians who go out in darkness and bad weather to get the power back on.
But the heart of this parade will be Streissguth and his family.
“He was real active, real dedicated to the community. He was that kind of guy,” said Lothspeich, who considers himself Streissguth’s protege. “He was my mentor and friend. He was like a second dad to me, almost. He was just a great guy.”
Busy, noisy, happy
More than 150 floats and other parade participants — including 28 high school marching bands, the most ever, Lothspeich said — will gather before 9 a.m. in the staging area north of the Fire District 6 station at 8800 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave. The street will be closed at 8 a.m. The parade will launch at 10:30 a.m. from the fire station.
The parade route is approximately 2 miles: south on Hazel Dell Avenue to 63rd Street, east over Interstate 5 and up Highway 99 to 78th Street.
Parade organizers remind parade-goers that there will be 5,000 participants and 20,000 spectators — that’s one busy, noisy, happy scene — so please keep it happy by keeping tabs on children, and leashing and scooping up after pets.
Parking is available at the big commercial plazas along Hazel Dell Avenue and 99th Street.
Before the parade, the Lions Club will offer breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at the fire station. Admission is $6.50, or $5.50 for seniors and ages 5 and older. Children younger than 5 eat for free.
Teeny, little screen
What’s a parade? It’s a big, loud, live, joyous, attention-grabbing procession. You’re not supposed to be able tear your eyes and ears away from it. Therefore, in this day and age, it must appear inside your teeny little screen.
The Hazel Dell Parade of Bands Mobile App, which can be downloaded for free from the app store for Android and iOS devices, will let you preview and interact with the parade, the bands, the sponsors and your fellow fans. You can see (and sort) the whole list of parade entries, examine the map, and unlock coupons and special deals from parade sponsors. Visit hdscba.org/hazel-dell-parade-app to learn more.
