Seattle SPD Motorcycle Unit, Seattle, WA - Photo Chukundi Salisbury

Saturday July 28,2002
Downtown Seattle, Washington

By:  Clarissa Grayson

     From “fights!” to floats, from step groups to speedboats, this year’s Torch Light parade was definitely “entertaining” to say the least!  And if you still needed more excitement, the after party held at Club Fever was were you needed to be.  If you could afford it!

            People brought their dogs, their kids, grandmas, and kin-folk; it seemed like all of Seattle was out supporting Torch Light.  Traffic wasn’t to bad either, in fact it seemed most people got smart and took the bus downtown. 

The actual parade started off with a little number put on by the local police on motorcycles. This was quite pleasurable for the little kiddies, but you could tell some of the older teens didn’t really care for the police at all!  While on the subject of Police, I think it would be safe to say that the whole freakin’ Seattle police force was posted at the parade!  Someone could have had a drag race on Martin Luther Blvd., and no one would have known! 

“OH NO, the FIGHTS OUT…” it turned out that the police would be needed that night.  Around 9pm a small fight broke out near 2nd Ave.  The small fight, which could have been not worth mentioning, turned ugly when a large crowd of younger teens rushed toward the fight, pulling everyone’s attention away from the parade for a moment.  Police on horseback were brought in to settle the young crowd, which helped ease some people's mind.  “Man I just know some idiot is out here with a gun waiting to do something stupid”, stated one nervous girl in the restless crowd. 

However after a while the tension in the crowd came from a different source, THE POLICE.  On horseback they started to become rather “rough” with the crowd of youngsters.  This seemed a little harsh considering the crowd had calmed down.  But I guess that wasn’t enough for the men in blue on horseback.  They continued to shine flashlights on people in the crowd, and were bogarding people around with their horses.  Not to mention the horses couldn’t keep their footing on the concrete, and their horseshoes continually sparked when they slipped.  It was only a matter of time before things got even uglier!

Meanwhile the parade continued to please and bring cheers from the crowds closer to the street curb.  “It keeps getting bigger every year.  More and more  people, more excitement, better floats”, mentioned the “King Rain Rain” who was out representing the Rainer Club.  While the helium floats of whales, fish, stars, and the like kept people smiling, it was the high school bands, such as All City, and the hard working drill teams like “Electronettes” that got the crowd up and excited.

If you weren’t excited about the parade then chances were, that you could take part in some of the shows going on in the crowd.  There were groups of free styling teens showing off their lyrical skills, old friends running into each other, vendors selling (everything from) Scooby Doo balloons to flashing blue earrings.  And there might as well have been a runway because some Kats showed up floss’n some outrageous gear!!   At an overall glance of Torch Light 2002 things went down nicely, and it was the place to be at the time. 

“Heahhhy, how you do’n”.  The spot to spit your game after the parade was club FEVER!  That’s if you could stand the 2 hour line at the door, which matched the 2 hour driving you would have to do to find a freakin’ parking spot that didn’t cost $5!  However, when word got out that Fever was charging $20 at the door the place to be became outside Fever instead of inside!  You know, I guess some of us are still “Ballas-on-a-budget”.  The theme for the club that night was “Foam night”. For ya’ll that don’t know, its like dancing in a big bubble bath with no water.  It tends to get a little messy, and eventually your clothes get wet, and dirty and everyone gets freaky.  So for ya’ll that got your swang on inside the club, “hey do yo’ thang!”  And ya’ll that were “Parking lot Pimp’n” you saved good money!  From parade to party, Torch Light night was the night to kick it!

Clarissa Grayson