By MATT PATNEAUDE

At a parade in Yakima, Ron Palin was driving the Lake City Western Vigilantes' red-and-yellow striped paddywagon when he heard a screeching noise. Looking to his side, Palin saw the vehicle's drive shaft rolling into the gutter.

Palin and the rest of the Vigilantes pushed the 1946 converted wood panel truck around the corner and luckily, an auto shop was nearby. Using a universal joint, the Vigilantes were able to replace the drive shaft. Eight minutes later, the Vigilantes were back in the parade.

The Lake City Western Vigilantes are a group of volunteers who devote their time to raising money throughout the year for varioius youth organizations. While the Vigilantes are best known for their shenanigans as popular performers at parades throughout the Puget Sound area, they also participate in auctions and other charitable events.

Vigilante members come from throughout the North End, including Lake City, Shoreline and Lynnwood.

Formed originally as the Keystone Cops in 1946, the group was later called the Kangaroo Cops. In 1955, they became known as the Lake City Bearded Vigilantes, fining those who didn't follow the unwritten law of sporting a beard during the Lake City Pioneer Days celebration.

Each year at the Pioneer Days celebration, the Bearded Vigilantes held a tradition of shaving each other's beards. That changed, however, during the late 1960s, when the group dropped the beard requirement because beards were considered "synonymous with hippies." To reflect the group's clean-shaven new look, they also changed their name to the Lake City Western Vigilantes.

In recent years, however, some Vigilantes members have once again taken to sporting beards.

Dressed in cowboy boots, vests, and hats, the Vigilantes participate in about 30 parades a year. According to Palin, the paddywagon "goes bouncing down the parade route" while a half-dozen or more Vigilantes ride on the vehicle, performing skits along the way.

In the high season, the group participates in 9 parades in 7 days. Recently, the Vigilantes put in extra time, rolling through Roslyn and Marysville on the same day.

During the parades, other Vigilantes travel the parade route selling pins to raise money.

Palin says that the group sells over 10,000 pins a year. Besides parades in the Seattle area, the Vigilantes travel to places such as Ellensburg, Roslyn, and Winthrop.

Money is also raised by the Vigilantes at an annual auction in October. Donated merchandise is sold, typically raising about $7,000-$9,000. The money raised is used to sponsor such groups as little league baseball, youth football, and drill teams. According to Palin, donations are often made to help smaller areas that lack resources.

At Christmas time, the Vigilantes participate with the Make-A-Wish foundation, helping children on and off Christmas cruises. In the summer, the Vigilantes escort kids to see the hydroplanes at Stan Sayres Pits near Seward Park.

Another memorable event came in 1986 when the Vigilantes held a reunion for their 40th anniversary. All former Vigilantes were invited to ride on the paddywagon at the Pioneer Days parade.

The paddywagon, which usually carries 6 or 8 members, was overloaded with 28 current and former Vigilantes. "I could feel the thing flexing while we were driving," says Palin.

In his 28 years with the Lake City Western Vigilantes, Palin says that the group has never missed one of their monthly meetings, held the first Thursday of the month at the Lake City Community Center. Palin says that there are stringent rules to maintain membership. "If you don't show, you're out," says Palin.

For fifty-four years the Lake City Vigilantes have been entertaining communities and raising money for youth. And even if their paddywagon breaks down in the middle of a parade, they will find a way to keep on going.