Our 8th annual Peace Train in the Montrose Christmas Parade

[Brian]

Mike engineered the framework that put the Peace Train on wheels starting with the 2013 Montrose Christmas Parade.

The folks of Montrose Peace Vigil, along with friends, family and other peaceniks -- including stalwarts from Glendale Peace Vigil and the Eagle Rock vigil -- will march for the eighth consecutive year in the Montrose Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 2. The parade starts at 6 p.m., but we will roll our custom built Peace Train to the staging area on Honolulu Avenue between Rosemont and La Crescenta avenues by 5 p.m. Last year, 36 people marched with the Peace Train.  Please come and join us.  For more information, check out the Montrose Christmas Parade Association's webpage:

www.montrosechristmasparade.com/

An amateur video captured the Peace Train and its passengers in the 2014 parade.

[Roberta]

Glad to see The Peace Train is being promoted while I am away!!!! I know MPVers will represent and welcome, feel free to collect emails so I can get info on the logistics to interested peaceniks. And/or give them mine: [e-mail]

[Brian]

The artsy photo I took marching with the Peace Train in the 2016 Montrose Christmas Parade.

Again this year, members of Montrose Peace Vigil and Glendale Peace Vigil contributed $1,000 to the Montrose Christmas Parade Association to become Silver Supporters of the parade. Click on this link and scroll down to see our listing alongside the Toyota dealership, the chamber of commerce and one of the Starbucks -- embedded in the combined name of our long standing peace vigils is a link to the homepage of this message board:

www.montrosechristmasparade.com/2017Event.htm

Most of the 36 Peace Train participants gathering before last year's Montrose Christmas Parade.

[Roberta]

Another great ride on The Peace Train last night. Over 30 peaceniks ate, drank, waited around, socializing all the while, and then finally marched for peace, down Honolulu, to the cheers, peace signs and greetings of thousands once again. I eagerly await Brian’s official census count and (I hope) a listing of all the names so I can send my thanks, which I know is speaking for everyone in Montrose Peace Vigil as well.

[Jeanne]

Dec 3, 2017 16:17:26 GMT -8 Roberta said:

Another great ride on The Peace Train last night. Over 30 peaceniks ate, drank, waited around, socializing all the while, and then finally marched for peace, down Honolulu, to the cheers, peace signs and greetings of thousands once again. I eagerly await Brian’s official census count and (I hope) a listing of all the names so I can send my thanks, which I know is speaking for everyone in Montrose Peace Vigil as well.

Brian's count is 30. It was a lovely parade. I think the warm weather made for a larger, longer lasting crowd. There were several people who seemed to be very happy to see the message of peace. I'm grateful to everyone who made it possible to have that happen.

I love it that our banner bearers are from Iran. Paige and Forrest were really happy to walk with the train. They kept saying how much they have missed it. I was so impressed that my grandson was able to sit long enough to see the train. It's possible that his first experience with cotton candy motivated him.

[Brian]

Thanks for posting, Roberta and Jeanne! I'll add photos later this week.

I just found the official video of the 2016 Montrose Christmas Parade on You Tube, thanks to Norm and his phone while we were waiting for last night's parade to start. This year, the Peace Train kept up with the crowd of Montrose Peace Vigil marchers in front, unlike last year as you can see. If you go back to the beginning of the broadcast,  there's the Peace Train in the opening montage -- which might be a first. I expect the 2017 parade video will be posted later this month.

[Brian]

30 peaceniks march with the Peace Train in the Montrose Christmas Parade

I had to revise my initial count of the marchers on Saturday, December 2, 2017, the eighth time that Montrose Peace Vigil and Glendale Peace Vigil entered the Peace Train in the Montrose Christmas Parade.  That photo shows 26 people, but two of them did not march.  Five participants were elsewhere when Brooke snapped the picture.

Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church members Melissa and her daughter Milika carried the banner this year, leading our parade contingent down Honolulu Avenue in front of the Peace Train.

Engineer Mike cannot see through the Peace Train's front panel, so he is guided ably by Norm, barely visible on the other side of the train, pausing to wave to the crowd with his white gloved hand.

Glendale Peace Vigil started in 2002, more than three years before Montrose Peace Vigil. Although their vigils in downtown Glendale ceased in 2012, Glendale Peace Vigil members have always contributed to the parade sponsorship, and many of them have marched in it. This is the caboose of the Peace Train.

[Sharon W]

I love the caboose! The spirit of Glendale Peace Vigil lives on. Thanks to all those who marched for peace with the ever evolving Montrose Peace Train.

[anni]

Yes to what Sharon said. Thank you dearest peace lovers!

[Brian]

The City of Glendale just posted the official broadcast of the 2017 Montrose Christmas Parade on You Tube.  The Peace Train appears around the three quarter mark in the video.  Slide the time bar to 1:05:06 for the first sighting of Montrose Peace Vigil marchers: