By SHANNON PRIEBE

Over the years, the Greenwood Seafair Parade has given a myriad of memories to several generations of locals, who have both watched and participated in the festivities.

In celebration of the parade's 50th anniversary this year, some of those people have shared their fondest memories. Here's what they remember most:

Gordy Smith, a member of the Western Vigilantes, a Lake City-based group that has performed in Seafair parades for many decades, remembers the time he was tackled to the ground in front of the Greenwood Parade grand stand and had half of his beard shaved off. The group required its members to have beards when they participated in parades, and Smith at that time was also a member of the National Guard, which required him to be clean shaven. So when he shot a hole in another Vigilante member's hat, the group decided that shaving his beard was a good way to retaliate. He said the crowd got a real kick out of the stunt.

Ruth MacDonald, co-chair of this year's Greenwood Parade, recalls the first year that the parade had its VIK ("Very Important Kids") section. That year, TV station KOMO 4's T Wheedle mascot was among those judging the children's costumes and small floats. "The kids were all lined up and suddenly, when they saw him, they flocked around him. It was total chaos," MacDonald said.

MacDonald also recalled the first year Seafair recognized the people who put on the Greenwood Parade. She and Marcia Brunner were knighted by King Neptune Rex and Miss Seafair 1998. They both were made honorary members of the Seafair court and received small evergreen trees as tokens of appreciation for their efforts.

Marcia Brunner, the other co-chair of this year's Greenwood Parade, remembers the time that a horse and buggy carrying the Grand Marshal went out of control when the horse got spooked. Fortunately, the driver was able to regain control after only a few blocks, but Brunner said it certainly scared the Grand Marshal.

Greenwood merchant Gary Teachout, owner of Gary's Games, said the Greenwood Parade is "truly a neighborhood parade because it has the goofy little things everyone in the neighborhood decide to get together." His favorite parade memory is the two years when he was president of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce because he was able to ride a car in the parade that went before the mayor's car.

Kent Kammerer, a longtime Greenwood resident, remembers the year that Greenwood Parade chairman Ed Medeiros went on vacation when the parade occurred. Kammerer explained that the parade was so well organized that Medeiros, whose "day job" is running the Phinney Neighborhood Association, didn't even need to be there.

Lillian Balls, who has been coming to the parade for years, likes to take pictures of all the people she knows in the parade and make presents out of the pictures. She said she does this because her photo subjects are not able to see the parade while they were participating in it.

Leanne Gallucci of Metropolis, a greeting card shop on Greenwood Avenue, grew up taking part in the Greenwood Parade as a member of a baton troop from her grandmother's dance studio called Verla Flowers Dancearts. Her grandmother would drive a big car equipped with banners and speakers while the girls preformed their numbers. She said that it was fun working her way up to the "big girls' class" because the older girls got to perform "Donna Summers kick numbers."

Gallucci also recall the year she stepped in something she wished she hadn't. "I was trying to be the best little dancer and not look down and I stepped in horse poop! But the show must go on," she said.

Gloria Butts, a Broadview resident who belongs to the Broadview Historical Society, thinks of the Greenwood Parade as "a wonderful neighborhood parade, the nicest family parade you can find." She said that there is a joke going around that if you want to see drill teams, the Greenwood parade is the place to be.

Jerry Curl, a former parade director who owns Emerald City Plaque Company in Greenwood, recalls how neighbors would work all summer in each other's yards on floats for the parade. One year his group entered an award-winning serpentine float.

Even my mom shared her memories of the Greenwood Parade. She remembers visiting her cousins in Greenwood and watching the parade. She especially enjoyed trying to get candy from the Seafair Pirates.