Langley’s first big parade of the year attracted shrimp, seahorses, crabs, pods of orcas and at least one Disney villain who marched down the streets on Saturday for the annual Welcome the Whales Parade.
In what may be a first for this year, the endlessly creative costumes of participants were not just limited to marine wildlife. Orca Network co-founder Howard Garrett donned a bald eagle suit, complete with sound effects.
“I thought it went very well but I was inside an eagle, so I could only see out a small porthole and it got foggy,” Garrett said of the parade.
A particular serendipitous moment occurred when an actual bald eagle flew overhead; Garrett felt noticed by the bird.
Although the parade is traditionally about recognizing the gray whales who feed around Whidbey Island this time of year, cetaceans of all kinds are celebrated. This includes the southern resident orcas, whose source of food is dwindling. Members of the North Olympic Orca Pod, an advocacy group from the Olympic Peninsula, carried signs with the message “Breach Now: Lower Snake Dams.” The message is a call to restore salmon which will feed the endangered southern residents.
Garrett said he saw the eagle as representing part of the habitat for the orcas.
“Orca Network is dedicated to improving habitats for the orcas, and a habitat is all intertwined – all the elements, all the animals, all the natural surroundings are intertwined and working together in a harmonious way, and the eagles are an essential element in that overall habitat,” he said.
He wasn’t the only one in an avian costume. His wife and Orca Network co-founder, Susan Berta, wore an inflatable pink flamingo with the sign “I escaped from the Miami Seaquarium.” The world-famous southern resident orca Tokitae spent the majority of her life in captivity at the park, which has recently been ordered to close because of lease agreement violations. As Garrett pointed out, the Miami Seaquarium is home to a number of other animals, including flamingos.
After the whale parade, Berta shared a few words in memory of Tokitae, who died last August, and there was a moment of silence. Mike Evans, the chair of the Snohomish Tribe of Indians, gave a blessing.
Though no gray whales swam by Seawall Park at the time of the ceremony, Garrett said, there was evidence that they had recently been feeding in the area because it was low tide. People walked out onto the tidal flats and spread flower petals as an offering to the habitat and the whole thriving ecosystem.
“We are so very fortunate to live in this place where the whales have found this ample buffet of their favorite prey, where they come every spring to feed, and to welcome them with such joy and love,” Berta said.
Photo by David Welton There was no shortage of color at the parade.
Photo by David Welton Plenty of people opted to don a whale costume.
Photo by David Welton Plenty of people opted to don a whale costume.
