DOO DAH REVELERS READY; PASADENA GEARS UP FOR ITS OTHER YEARLY PARADE.

Byline: Mary Schubert Staff Writer

The Doo Dah Parade stages its annual celebration of the offbeat and absurd in Old Pasadena on Sunday.

Begun in 1978 as a spoof of the Rose Parade, Doo Dah has become a holiday season tradition of skewering the sacred and celebrating the profane.

A widely revered Tibetan holy man? The Republican presidential front-runner? Both will be lampooned in the parade, which will march along Raymond Avenue and Colorado Boulevard beginning at 11:30 a.m.

In addition to the group that will mimic and parody Texas Gov. George W. Bush, Doo Dah-ers dressed in saffron robes will perform as The Hello Dalai Lamas, said parade organizer Patricia Hurley.

``They'll be dancing and lip-synching to the song `Hello Dolly.' They have blond wigs like Carol Channing,'' Hurley said.

Nods to events of 1999 include a parade entry that sends up the surprise indie summer hit, ``The Blair Witch Project,'' and the group Stinko and the Stinkettes, who will make fun of ``the giant phallic flower that bloomed this summer at Huntington Gardens,'' Hurley said.

Another parade participant - the Y2K Bug Busters - will poke fun at the world's anxieties over whether our computerized society will smoothly transition from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 or just go haywire. That group's motto, Hurley said, is ``We remind you to remain.com.''

Whether or not the doomsday scenario materializes, Hurley said parade-watchers and Doo Dah participants have one thing in common - a penchant for silliness and fun, maybe more than ever because it's 1999. ``We're seeing this year a huge amount of enthusiasm from the public and the entries,'' she said.

``I think it's because of the millennium,'' Hurley added. ``People are really ready, in a party spirit. They're ready to kick off the holidays with a bang.''

Many perennial Doo Dah participants will return to the lineup in this year's parade, including The Dead Rose Queens, who look like zombies in lacy regal gowns, and an Altadena man who bills himself as Zeke the Sheik.

``He's kind of a prophet. He talks about the end of the world,'' Hurley said. ``He talks in rhymes; he kind of raps. He wears a white gown and funny sunglasses.''

Another parade regular is Torment of Roses, a group of Pasadena attorneys who provide topical commentary with picket signs and bullhorns.

This years' Doo Dah Queen is Erika Marrin, who won the honor after her fourth try last week. Marrin, who entered as ``Tippi Headtrip and the Lost Language of Cranes,'' beat out about 16 other contestants for the title, including first runner-up ``Big Tad'' from KROQ radio's Kevin and Bean show. Tad, who wore a pink tutu at the tryouts, was named Doo Dah fairy.

Rounding out the lineup are Men of Leisure, who Hurley described as a ``synchronized napping drill team;'' the Howlelujah Chorus, a group of 100 basset hounds wearing choir bibs; a roller hockey team from The 35er, an Old Pasadena tavern; Elvirus and the Vaccines, who spoof TV's black-haired Mistress of the Dark; and a team of skateboarders who play the drums and sword fight, Hurley said.

There will be a pre-parade pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St. The all you-can-eat buffet is $4.95. The official Doo Dah Celebration will take place at the Old Towne Pub, 66 N. Fair Oaks Ave., following the Parade.

Doo Dah Parade schedule

What: 1999 Doo Dah Parade

Where: Begins at the corner of Raymond Avenue and Holly Street; heads south on Raymond for two blocks, then turns west on Colorado Boulevard and ends at Pasadena Avenue, in Pasadena.

When: Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

Info: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

map, box

Box: Doo Dah Parade schedule (see text)

Map: Doo Dah parade