TWENTY MULE TEAM DAYS PARADE; TOWN CHEERS LIVING SYMBOLS OF ITS HISTORY.Byline: Greg Botonis Daily News Staff Writer Floats, food, gunslingers, and 20 mules tugging 115-year-old borax borax or sodium tetraborate decahydrate (sō`dēəm tĕ'trəbôr`āt dĕk'əhī`drāt), chemical compound, Na2B4O7·10H2O; sp. gr. 1. wagons brought out hundreds of people Saturday to enjoy the 41st annual Twenty Mule Team
Twenty mule teams were teams of eighteen mules and two horses attached to large wagons that ferried borax out of Death Valley from 1883 to 1889. Days parade. The celebration got off to a shaky start with a few problems getting the mules lined up, but the cheering crowds didn't seem to mind. ``Most of us plan our day around this,'' said Rhonda Bailey of Lancaster. ``We watch the parade and then barbecue with our friends and family.'' People lined the streets of Boron boron (bōr`ŏn) [New Gr. from borax], chemical element; symbol B; at. no. 5; at. wt. 10.81; m.p. about 2,300°C;; sublimation point about 2,550°C;; sp. gr. 2.3 at 25°C;; valence +3. , east of Mojave and north of Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. , to watch the last High Desert trip of the original borax wagons before the team heads to the 110th Tournament of Roses parade The Tournament of Roses Parade was established, and first held, on January 1,1890, in Pasadena, California, eight miles (13 km) northeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Rooted in tradition, this parade is broadcast on multiple television networks, watched by upwards of one on New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. , 1999, and then into retirement as a display in the U.S. Borax visitors center. ``It's kind of sad,'' said Steve Foxe, a Boron resident for more than 20 years. ``I was hoping they would be a permanent part of our parade. But it will be great to see them in the Rose Parade.'' The wagons will now be fixed up in preparation for their second Rose Parade appearance. The first was in 1917. More than 30 other entries were presented by various area organizations, including the Dust & Diamonds Color Guard, the Blue Eagle Corps Color Guard, the Boron Wildcats football team and many more. The gunslinging show was also a huge hit and even pulled some spectators into the show. ``The gunfighting was great,'' said Alex Marisson of San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . ``I've been to the last five of these things, but this was the best yet.'' Following this years theme, Pulling Together Toward the 21st Century, a model of NASA's X-33, designed to be the first reusable space launch vehicle, was also featured. ``The show was awesome,'' said Scott Adkins, Boron resident and this year's parade announcer. ``We had 10 times the turnout this year over previous years.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos PHOTO (1 -- color) Horsemen escort a 20-mule team pulling 115-year-old borax wagons through Boron. (2 -- ran in SAC edition only) Parade Grand Marshall Preston Chiaro, senior vice president of U.S. Borax, waves to the crowd from mule wagon Saturday. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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