Kiddie Parade floats down Sherman

A swath of Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene transformed into something shining, shimmering and splendid for a few hours Wednesday morning.

More than 100 kids embraced this year’s “Wonderful World of Disney” theme and swarmed downtown to take part in the annual Kiddies Parade sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene Recreation Department. Running from the corner of 10th and Sherman to Independence Point, crowds cheered as children waved, dressed in their favorite Disney costumes, patriotic costumes — or whatever costume they wanted.

“I really loved all the stuff,” Coeur d’Alene parader Miranda Enloe, 11, said afterward, her two bunnies Oreo and Boomer in a stroller beside her. “Everybody dressed up for it. They were pretty.”

“It was great,” Miranda’s father James said. “It was a bit longer parade route than I remember it being, so that was great. More time to enjoy it.”

Nick Buley, director of security for The Coeur d’Alene Resort, has helped guide kids down the parade route for the past three years. He said it was a pleasure to take part in the yearly event.

“I just help keep the traffic moving,” Buley said. “I help keep the kids safe. I like doing this sort of thing. It’s a great Coeur d’Alene tradition.”

“To me, it’s all about tradition,” Mandy Enloe added. “It’s about community representation. I’m glad we got to take part in it. We’ve never been able to do this before [because of work schedules], but now we get to do things like this. It was super-fun. I hope we get to make this a family tradition.”

Many came to the parade in groups. Hayden’s Amy Malinauskas organized a mob of kids as part of a group of MOPS — shorthand for “mothers of preschoolers.”

“For us,” she said, “this is just about getting out and enjoying events like this. This only comes once a year, so it’s about getting out and doing something together.”

“This is really about community for us,” Hayden’s Mike Willis said, children Joshua, 5, and Faith, 2, riding in a one-time Lightning McQueen bed modified into a wheeled float. “Stuff like this: This is what it’s all about for us.”

Willis and Joshua spent Tuesday night preparing for the parade by installing seats in the children’s bed and ensuring the wheels would roll down Sherman.

“We did a little North Idaho engineering,” Willis said.

Or, to paraphrase Mater from Disney’s “Cars,” they got ‘er done.

“It was an even bigger turnout than last year, which was awesome,” Melissa Brandt of the Parks and Recreation Department said. “I had someone [say], ‘I enjoy that more than I do the big parade [tomorrow], because the kids had a good time and it’s just for them…’ It’s just a simple, fun thing the community can enjoy.”

The kids walked the ten-block route with a little additional pep in their step this year, as the temperature dropped and the skies clouded up by 10:30 a.m. Fearing rain, the parade ended a little early.

“It got a little chilly,” James Enloe admitted. “The weather got a little cloudy, but Miranda still had fun.”

Of course she did. As Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen” once declared, the cold never bothered her anyway.

FLOATS

- First place: “If You Can Dream It.” Kale, Miles and Wesleigh Haas; Parker, Carli and Cassie Chaffin; Blake, Kylie and Mason Anderson; Luca and Marco Pierantoni; Beckett Meek.

- Second place: “Welcome To Disney.” Mackenzie, Madison and Willow Poole; Avery and Braxton Meyer; and Dash and Kingston Willoughby with Donald and Daisy Duck in tow.

COSTUMES

- First place: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Ryan and Charlie Hocking; Gabe and Zeke Fullmer; and Soren and Siena Mantz.

- Second place: “Mike and Sully.” Aurel and Aileigh Smith; Bearett Freeman; Keaten Russell and Duke Caboom.

OTHER PRIZES

Most Original: “Flying High with Aladdin.” Bently and Carter Knoll and Laurel and Braelyn Bartell. Second place: flying box cart. Maya and Michal Borges.

BEST THEME

First place: “Red Snow White and Blue and the Seven Dwarfs.” Stephanie Schacher, Niki Berk, Brady King, Ericka Schindelbeck and kids Maverich, Kambry, Stein, Ward, Loic, Siena, Austin and Brock.