ANNUAL SIMI PARADE GIVES RESIDENTS THAT SMALL-TOWN FEEL.

Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Daily News Staff Writer

Longtime residents and newcomers to the city came together early Saturday morning, lining the curbs of Los Angeles Avenue to eagerly await the start of the Simi Valley Days Parade.

At about 8:15 a.m., families began to set up lawn chairs, umbrellas and blankets to stake out good spots for the decades-old tradition.

Although many of the surrounding streets were heavily impacted as traffic was detoured away from the parade site, for most residents the nearly two-hour event was a bit of small-town America not often found in Southern California.

Alison Hammersley, a lifelong resident who brought her 6-year-old daughter, Melissa, to watch the parade, reminisced about Simi Valley Days gone by.

``We could hear it when we were sleeping,'' said Hammersley, who once lived near the carnival site, of the music and activity. ``We didn't always go to the carnival, but we've come to the parade ever since I was a kid.''

After a brief rerouting last year, when the town's fairgrounds were moved to make way for a development, the parade was on familiar territory again this year as it traveled west down Los Angeles Avenue from Erringer to Sinaloa roads.

Many spectators said they knew several of the people participating in the parade - 100 or so floats, cars and bands were entered.

``It's so predictable, every Boy Scout and Girl Scout in town, but you love it,'' said Margie Williams, a 12-year resident who brought her two daughters, Debbie, 6, and Becky, 11.

Other adults said they remember walking down the streets of Simi Valley, waving to their neighbors when they were children.

Debra Moore, 34, said she marched in the parade about eight times - as an Indian Maiden, the female equivalent of the Indian Guides, and then with the Royal High School color guard.

Now a mother of two, Moore said she enjoys bringing her girls, Alyssa, 6, and Amanda, 3, to the parade. And she laughs when they marvel at the thought that the parade has been around since their mother was a child.

``It's really neat feeling that something like this has kept up all the years,'' she said. ``It's still a small-town thing, and Simi is still small enough that it hasn't grown out of it.''

Organizers said they were pleased with the number of entrants in the parade this year. Included in the lineup were local and regional elected officials - including Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton as grand marshal - and dance squads, clowns, several middle and high school bands and equestrian groups.

``We did much better than I'd expected this year, given that we lost our database and we had nothing to go on,'' said Robert Noorigian, the first-time chairman for the parade. ``But we did pretty well. I rounded up what I could from years past - programs and such - looked in phone books and contacted people we know.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) The Simi Valley Family YMCA Indian Program entry gives a colorful presentation Saturday during the Simi Valley Days Parade.

(2) Four-year-old Marvin Tikhonov reacts to the noisy arrival of firetrucks participating in the Simi Valley Days Parade.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News