Thousands line the parade route to celebrate the 82nd annual Chasco Fiesta. "This is Mardi Gras for us," one man said.
By ALEX LEARY
Published March 22, 2004
[Times photos: Janel Schroeder-Norton]
Citali Salinas, 26, of Mexico City, performs a traditional Aztec dance. Thousands turned out for the 82nd annual event, based on an apocryphal American Indian tale.
Ian Tyson, 33, gets ready to place a bandana around the jaws of a 200-pound alligator that he wrestled during a show at the Chasco Fiesta on Saturday.
NEW PORT RICHEY - The parade was about to start and the charcoal bag remained unopened. Hot dogs were in the cooler, along with a case of Michelob. People were partying all around, but John St. Martin fumbled with a tabletop grill.
"Look at these directions," Martin said. "You're supposed to read that?"
He managed, and soon his crew was feasting, with a prime spot on Main Street to watch Saturday's Chasco Fiesta parade. "This is Mardi Gras for us," said Jon Thornley, 41, of New Port Richey.
Thousands of people attended the parade, the centerpiece of the 82nd annual Chasco Fiesta,- hugging metal barricades as floats went by loaded with bead-tossing pirates, cowboys, American Indians and clowns.
"You just gotta stand here," 41-year-old Bo Scroggins said, explaining his method of acquiring beads. Scroggins already had four strands around his neck when another float went by, blaring Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water.
Parade watchers washed down hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages with soda and beer and finished it off with pillows of pink cotton candy.
Manuel Gonzalez, a 35-year-old landscaper from New Port Richey, walked around with an 8-foot Burmese Python on his neck. The albino snake, named Dino, drew hordes of people who ran their fingers across his scales and marveled at his forked tongue. Indifferent to the attention, Dino still managed to freak out a few kids.
Chasco Fiesta is based on an American Indian tale and the culture played prominently Saturday. Kathy Shackelford drove from Jacksonville to participate in a dance ceremony. The 43-year-old Lakota Indian was running late and had to dress on the side of the road.
She pulled on moccasins and then a buckskin dress, long ribbons hanging from the arms. Then she wrapped a yellow scarf around her neck and stuck an eagle pin in its knot. "This is my heritage," Shackelford said.
The people who went by an hour later on the Krewe of Chasco float were similarly dressed. But few could claim the same authenticity.
The Krewe float has been a source of controversy because some say it offers racist portrayals of American Indians. About 20 protesters, many associated with the American Indian Movement, showed up again this year and held signs denouncing the event.
"It's unfortunate that the non-Indian community doesn't seem to want to understand the American Indian perspective on culture and tradition," said David Narcomey, a Seminole who came from Oklahoma to join the demonstrators.
Curious onlookers wondered what the big deal was, since there was a concentration of police in the area.
"What are they protesting?" asked Kevin Kroening, 40, of New Port Richey. When briefed on the dispute, Kroening said he did not see it as offensive. "It's a celebration," he said before dashing off to chase the Bud Light truck.
The Krewe of Chasco passed without much incident (last year, four AIM members were arrested), but was briefly halted when a protester, Daniel Callaghan, chained himself to the float and chained the float to an eyebolt in the ground. Police used bolt cutters and led him away.
Callaghan, 62, of New Port Richey, was arrested on charges of disturbing a lawful assembly and obstructing a public road. He also was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. He was released Saturday from county jail on $6,000 bail.
The 1 p.m. parade was preceded by a 1-mile fun run.
Darlene Keppel, 44, of Land O'Lakes, crossed the finish line with a time of 8:35. "I wanted to do it under 9 minutes," she said, barely winded, unlike the red-faced teenager who finished behind her.
"It's a neat idea, running through downtown," Keppel said. "You've got the crowd cheering you on; you feel like you are flying."
