San Juan Capistrano, Calif. – Over 130 entries are preparing for the 52nd Swallows Day Parade in downtown San Juan Capistrano on Saturday, March 20, 2010. Fiesta de las Golondrinas – meaning Festival of the Swallows – activities pay tribute to the annual return of the swallows and San Juan Capistrano’s Spanish and western heritage.
One of the nation’s largest non-motorized parades, the Swallows Day Parade will features 500 horses in various equestrian entries, high school and military marching bands, floats, folkloric dancers, historical reenactments and dozens of local community groups. Highlights include the United States Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard from Barstow, the 1st Marine Division Band and two Platoons from the 1st Battalion 11th Marines from Camp Pendleton.
Longtime San Juan Capistrano resident Wyatt Hart will serve as grand marshal and this year’s parade is being dedicated to the memory of former Rancho Mission Chairman Richard O’Neill. His sister Alice O’Neill Avery is expected to represent the family in the parade
The parade begins 11:00 a.m. at Ortega Highway and Del Obispo Street and continues along Camino Capistrano. Attendees who arrive early can catch the annual Pancake Breakfast from 6:00 – 10:30 a.m. at the Women’s Club located at 31442 El Horno St. Another major parade-day attraction is the Mercado Street Fair with food booths and a variety of vendors that takes place at the historic Town Center Park off of El Camino Real and Ortega Highway from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
The Fiesta Association will host a Shuttle Bus from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with pick ups at Endevco and FluidMaster along Rancho Viejo Road between Ortega Hwy and Junipero Serra. Roundtrip fee is $2.00 for adults and kids under 10 free.
The Fiesta de Las Golondrinas is tied to the legendary return of the swallows to the Mission San Juan Capistrano on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19th. The square-tailed cliff swallows spend the summer in San Juan Capistrano and leave in late October to travel 6000 miles for a winter in Goya, Argentina.
For more information about the Swallows Day Parade or Fiesta de las Golondrinas events, call 949.493.1976 or visit www.swallowsparade.org.
Hoos’Gow Day
Hoos’Gow Day is a long standing fundraising tradition the day before the parade held this year on Friday, March 19 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Throughout downtown San Juan Capistrano, the Fiesta Association sheriff and deputies – dressed in their traditional black and white western wear – will search the city and arrest anyone not dressed in western attire or any man who is clean shaven. There will be two roaming jails (Hoos’Gows) in the city and the “jail birds” must pay a fee (purchase a souvenir) to be released.
About the Fiesta de las Golondrinas and the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association
The San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association is an all-volunteer organization that manages and produces the annual Swallows Day Parade and other Fiesta de las Golondrinas events throughout the year. A nonprofit, nonpolitical organization, the Fiesta Association is led by a board of directors and is entirely self-funded through donations and various fundraising activities.
Barbara Kimler
Fiesta de las Golondrinas Publicity
