Oakley parties like it’s 1999: Town celebrates 25 years of cityhood with parade and festival

THE SPECTATORS LINED up early on Saturday. They snuggled in along Main Street across from Civic Center Park, some with folding camp chairs, a few dressed in red, white and blue attire, all eager to catch a glimpse of the passing parade.

A parade in Oakley? Folks here haven’t seen the like since the days of the Almond Festival, and that’s been more than a dozen years ago. But it’s easy to get a little nostalgic when you’re celebrating a milestone birthday.