Alaska Life

Car parade rolls through Anchorage senior housing community

Revving engines and car horns filled the air at Chugach View and Chugach Manor on Thursday as a parade for seniors rolled through the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

Residents inside and outside watched as a parade of about a dozen decorated vehicles passed through twice. The event was hosted by the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. and the Municipality of Anchorage.

“I think it was awesome,” said Patricia Brown, who video-chatted with her son so he could watch from Chicago with her. “It gets us out the house for a change.”

The Anchorage Corvette Association, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, East Rotary Club and Anchorage Safety Patrol and Center participated in the event, decorating vehicles with balloons, teddy bears, dolls and American flags.

For Phyllis White and Beverly Miller, the parade helped them see friends and community members they haven’t been able to see as often due to COVID-19 and the resulting closure of their community rooms.

“It’s a welcomed thing to get out and get some sunshine,” Brown said.

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Emily Mesner

Emily Mesner is a multimedia journalist for the Anchorage Daily News. She previously worked for the National Park Service at Denali National Park and Preserve and the Western Arctic National Parklands in Kotzebue, at the Cordova Times and at the Jackson Citizen Patriot in Jackson, Michigan.

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