MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — As the 19th annual Tour de Terrace nears, community members look to the festival as a means to reconnect and honor their city.
Festival Grand Marshal Nalin Sood, 43, the head basketball coach and teacher at Mountlake Terrace High School, describes the event as “one of the shining moments of the year in the city.”
Sood led the Mountlake Terrace Hawks varsity basketball team to a district championship.
“I have been a part of Mountlake Terrace my entire life,” said Sood, who has been a coach at the high school for 25 years and a teacher for 15.
After immigrating to Mountlake Terrace in the 1960s, Sood’s parents, originally from Africa, became involved in the community. His father, Vic Sood, was involved in city politics since the 1970s. His late mother, Manu, was a member of the Mountlake Terrace Arts Commission and Garden Club.
Sood describes his coaching experience as the “honor of a lifetime” and, with his grand marshal status, wishes to recognize all the basketball players and fellow coaches he has worked with in the past.
“The thing I appreciate the most is, even when people graduate and move away, they always bring their kids back for the parade,” Sood said.
Established in 1993 to promote community pride, the Seafair-sanctioned event will be noon to 11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
The parade is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. Friday, traveling along 56th Avenue W. from 234th Street north to Evergreen Playfield. It will feature the Seattle Motorcycle Police Drill Team, Seafair Pirates and Clowns, the Lake City Western Vigilantes, dancers, drill teams, floats and classic cars. To participants, the Tour de Terrace Parade serves as a dress rehearsal for the following night’s Torchlight Parade in Seattle.
The Davis Amusement Carnival is from 1 to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
A fireworks show is scheduled for 10 p.m. Saturday. A classic car, truck and motorcycle show will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday with a $15 entry fee.
The festival will also feature food booths, a beer garden, live music, pancake breakfast and street fair.
New this year is the Mountlake Terrace 5K Fun Run/Walk, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The race begins at Mountlake Terrace High School, and continues along city streets and into Terrace Creek Park. Cost is $25 per adult, $20 per child and free for kids younger than 5.
The Cedar Way Parent Teacher organization put together the event to benefit local elementary schools.
Register online at www.tinyurl.com/MLTFunRun.
To learn more about the Tour de Terrace festival, go to www.tourdeterrace.org or call 425-791-5956.
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