Perfect Weather, Old Time Charm Mark Annual Butter and Eggs Day

If you needed any reminder of what makes Petaluma so special, you probably got it at Saturday's Butter & Eggs Day Parade. 

The day kicked off with the Cutest Little Chick contest, in which 79 kids took part, double that of last year, according to Skip Sommer, a volunteer. Around the corner, at McNear's, burly men as well as a few local bigwigs including Police Chief Dan Fish and Councilman Gabe Kearney, took turns hurling dyed cow chips to see who could throw them the farthest. 

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An estimated 30,000 people were in attendance, according to organizers, who called the event a rousing success. 

"The public was really eager to have a few hours of good, old-fashioned fun," said Jeff Mayne, a boardmember of the Petaluma Downtown Association and announcer for the parade. At one point in the parade, a couple who had been married for 70 years and had traveled from Baltimore to join their family at the annual event, was announced and was greeted by cheers from the crowd.

"That kind of spirit permeated the whole day," Mayne said. "People just went wild for them."

Throughout the day, different musicians entertained audiences at the Riverfront stage at B and Second streets, including members of Rock Project, a San Francisco nonprofit that provides "performance-based" musical education for teens. Later, local band Mighty Groove took their turn playing covers of popular hits, sending both young and old dancing in the street.

Sixty four-year-old Petaluma resident Joe Sturla was one of the lucky ones who managed to nab front row seats on Kentucky Street.

"It's a lot of hometown, small town spirit," said Sturla, a former board member of the Boys & Girls Club. "It's nice to see what the kids are doing," he said as school floats drove by.

Jim Perry, 41, a fourth generation Petaluman, grew up watching the parade and is now sharing the tradition with his four kids. "I don't think I've missed it for the past 20 years," he said.

The theme for this year's parade is "Taking Flight" to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Fred Wiseman's historic airmail flight from Petaluma to Santa Rosa. To commemorate it, biplanes flew over the celebration prior the parade. This was followed by a procession of 173 floats, representing local schools, community groups and businesses.

The winner of the cow chip throwing contest, which had three categories--celebrities, politicians and "Joe Public"--was in fact a Joe, Joe Baker to be exact.

The grand prize for the Cutest Little Chick went to Madalynne Malone, while Alex Koppel and Alexander Crowley, took second and third place, respectively. Jessica Paganelli and Conor Custodio shared honorable mention. Congrats to all the winners.