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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Leveling the playing field for back-to-school supplies ... Making progress ... Our View: Every little bit helps in reducing emissions ... Leveling the playing field for back-to-school supplies ... Making progress ... Our View: Every little bit helps in reducing emissions ... PARADE Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit Actor Jim Belushi among those who turned out despite the weather Comment By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 11, 2015 at 7:47 PM Updated Apr 11, 2015 at 7:56 PM By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 11, 2015 at 7:47 PM Updated Apr 11, 2015 at 7:56 PM Parade contest winners --> Floats Youth 1. Rogue Valley Family YMCA 2. Fusion Dance Academy 3. Southern Oregon Head Start   Adult 1. Rogue Valley Veterans and Community O... » Read more X Parade contest winners Floats Youth 1. Rogue Valley Family YMCA 2. Fusion Dance Academy 3. Southern Oregon Head Start   Adult 1. Rogue Valley Veterans and Community Outreach 2. Wildlife Images 3. Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association   Equestrian 1. Rogue Mounted Archers 2. Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo 3. Jackson County Sheriff's Posse   Walking Youth 1. TNT Cheer 2. Spartan Boxing 3. ScienceWorks   Adult 1. Holly Theatre 2. SOU Athletics 3. Asante   Vehicle 1. La Clinica 2. Southern Oregon Corvette 3. Military Order of Purple Heart   Commercial 1. Sherm's Thunderbird Market 2. Bobbio's Pizza 3. Fountain Plaza » Social News Neither wind nor rain nor nonexistent parking could keep thousands of Rogue Valley residents from turning out Saturday to cheer on participants in the 2015 Pear Blossom Parade. Beneath a steady drizzle, families crowded sidewalks down the length of Medford's Central Avenue to watch the city's annual spring procession flow past, cheering for mainstays such as the Pear Blossom pageant princesses and baby blossoms, and looking to catch a glimpse of actor and comedian Jim Belushi, who rode aboard a white BMW convertible with a contingent from the Holly Theatre. "Hey, Belushi!" one teenager yelled from the sidewalk, "I'm the son you didn't know about. Give me money!" The parade has been held every year since 1954, when Medford community organizers decided to organize a children's parade. Event organizers said this year's parade, which stretched from Beatty Street south down Central Avenue to West Main Street and then west to Mistletoe Street, numbered more than 150 entrants and 4,000 participants. The total number of spectators had been expected to be over 30,000, but festival President Darcey Mann-Self said that number probably dropped to around 25,000 because of the rain and cold weather.  "When you counted the layers (of spectators) by block, I wouldn't say we were down much," she said. Police and volunteers from Central Point, Ashland, Eagle Point and Grants Pass joined Medford officers on motorcycles and bicycles, curtailing traffic on West Main and Central Avenue as children darted in and out of the roadway, eagerly snatching up candy thrown by marchers. A life-size replica of a U.S. military Hawk surface-to-air missile, built by Ron Bloom of Medford, drew wide-eyed stares from children gathered on the sidewalk. Bloom told the Mail Tribune he had to notify local aviation and law enforcement officials of the model, which isn't functional. The University of Oregon signed on as a festival sponsor for the first time this year, and organizers say the appearance of "Puddles," the school's licensed mascot likeness of Donald Duck, was especially well-received, at one point drawing laughs from a surly group of police officers on bicycles as he danced in the middle of the roadway, apparently directing traffic to the beat of nearby high school marching bands. Belushi's appearance in the parade came on the heels of a Tuesday announcement by the theater-restoration group that the actor had signed onto the fundraising effort as its honorary chairman. It's estimated that restoration of the theater, owned by the JPR Foundation and managed by Jefferson Live, will cost about $4 million, about half of which has already been raised. The theater, built during the Great Depression, shut down in 1986 and fell into disrepair until it was purchased by the foundation in 2011. Organizers say Belushi, who's known for appearing on Saturday Night Live and his starring role in ABC's "According to Jim," heard about the project through one of the subcontractors involved in the construction of his new home at the former Elks picnic area on the Rogue River and asked to tour the theater. Randy McKay, executive director of Jefferson Live, said the parade was an opportunity to highlight the project to community members who might not even know the theater is there.  "One of the things we wanted with this is showing the amount of support we have, with representatives of 45 different businesses and organizations carrying signs and somebody that notable like Jim Belushi," he said. McKay said offers to help with the theater group's procession in the parade were so numerous that volunteers had to turn down offers of help as they ran out of time and materials to make signs. McKay said the group's spot at the front of the parade, which organizers said had 150 entrants this year, was due solely to Belushi's schedule. "He was shooting another eight to 10 hours of TV this afternoon," McKay said, referring to the "Building Belushi" reality show the actor is filming to document his home's construction. "The only way we could do it was for him to get in and get out." Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at 541-776-4471 or  [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 11, 2015 at 7:47 PM Updated Apr 11, 2015 at 7:56 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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