Whales, orcas, jellyfish, salmon, a sea star and a ghost shrimp were all spotted strolling through Langley on Saturday during the annual Welcome the Whales Parade.
Langley continued its yearly tradition of welcoming the whales April 18 as people, many of whom dressed like the aforementioned creatures, flowed through Second and First streets. The sight, much like a whalewatching trip, drew plenty of onlookers for pictures of the cavalcade, following them down to Seawall Park for a short ceremony of readings, music and a blessing. Participation was open to the public.
The parade snaked from Anthes Avenue and Second Street up to Cascade Avenue, down First Street and hooked up with Anthes again to the park looking out over Saratoga Passage.
People eagerly awaited any sign of whales, especially given the buzz that some gray whales were seen that morning in Everett and were headed west toward Whidbey Island. Alas, eager whale watchers were left largely to their own imaginations of the massive marine mammals spy hopping, spouting or rolling through the ghost shrimp-filled Langley shore.
“We hope that, along with all the celebration and fun, you’ll learn more about these gray whales that visit us every year,” said Susan Berta, co-founder of Orca Network during the ceremony, wearing an Orca Network shirt and an orca-shaped hat.
Demureness went out the window as people throughout the parading throng donned whale and marine-themed attire. Adults and children alike dressed as sea life, including Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy — reprising his 2014 parade role as the resident ghost shrimp — sporting the antennae, tail and large claw. McCarthy was honored by Berta and Orca Network for his part in halting the commercial harvest of ghost shrimp along Whidbey Island. Since taking office, he led the charge to ask the Department of Natural Resources and Commissioner of Public Lands to stop permitting access to public tidelands around Whidbey for ghost shrimping. The mayor also recently declared April as Whale Month.
Plenty of people sported face paint whales, sea horses and octopi. Others had temporary gray whale tattoos, all courtesy of the pre-parade festivities held at the Langley United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall.
Two young parade-goers from Clinton dressed as an orca and a mouse/bush baby. Brothers Rauri, 9, and Callum, 6, Keith walked in their third Welcome the Whales Parade. Rauri, standing patiently as his mother applied makeup to his face for the full killer whale look, countered that his outfit was more akin to a porpoise — his favorite animal — than an orca.
“It’s just my thing,” he said of his porpoise passion.
Prior to the parade, people convened in the community hall for face paint, tattoos, orca dorsal fin hats, costumes and a wealth of information about marine environments. Groups including Orca Network and Whidbey Watershed Stewards set up informational boards about preserving and protecting Puget Sound and its contributing waterways.
One board touted the perils of man-made materials in the waters, such as cans, bottles, discarded food, paper, wood, and lost crab traps.
At the Langley Whale Center, dozens of people filed into the free museum to learn more about marine life around Washington. Youth volunteer Donia Kashkooli said that within the first hour of being open, 81 people had come through the doors.
During the parade itself, people held up signs to “Protect the Whales,” “Bring Lolita Home,” “More Shrimp = More Whales,” and “Langley Saved the Ghost Shrimp.” The latter was an amended sign from the 2014 parade with “Langley” attached via paper and tape and the “save” turned into the past tense to reflect the status of the commercial ghost shrimp harvest around Whidbey.
Emcee Jim Freeman, while leading the parade down the Anthes Avenue hill with jokes and song, said, “And you wonder why we live here.”
