Now & Then

ON THE MARCH

by George Soltes

PHOTOS BY KEITH BROFSKY AND COURTESY ROBERT CURTIN COLLECTION, BAINBRIDGE HISTORY MUSEUM

Bainbridge Island loves a parade. For much of its history, though, the event that half the island watches and the other half marches in was not held on the Fourth of July. Rather, it took place in June, to celebrate the Strawberry Festival.

The big Strawberry Festival parade fizzled out in the 1950s and Bainbridge suffered from parade withdrawal for over a decade until, in 1967, one tenacious resident decided that enough was enough.

Arnie Jackson—third-generation islander, local businessman and 48year volunteer firefighter—teamed up with the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce that year to organize the island’s first Grand Old Fourth of July Parade. Other than a single pause for the pandemic in 2020, it hasn’t missed a beat since.

Jackson, nicknamed “Growly” and later described by a Seattle Times reporter as Bainbridge’s “dean of the old-timers,” enjoyed telling stories, racing

cars, hunting, fishing and, for more than 20 years, coordinating the parade, often by shouting orders from his motorcycle.

This year, for the 57th time, we’ll witness a mile-long procession of classic cars, bands, bagpipers, librarians, Little Leaguers and representatives from just about every other organization on the island. As they march past, consider giving an extra flag wave for Arnie Jackson, who knew that a parade was exactly what we needed.