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    Shea Freelove leaned down for a delicate face-painting application by Rocio Cristal, leader of the Samba da Alegria dance group, prior to the Samba Parade.
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    Jocelyn Gwynn, of Arcata, touched up her face paint before the start of the Samba Parade with help of a mirror and advice from a flower girl.
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    Fritz Dannhouser, of Arcata, daubed on his own finishing touches after going through the body-paint work station prior to the Samba Parade.
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    The young flower girls who were to lead the parade loaded up their baskets from a wagon filled with flower blossoms prior to the Samba Parade.
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    The young flower girls and their team organizer practiced their waves to the crowd prior to the start of the Samba Parade.
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    The flower girls and Samba da alegria dancers under the direction of Rocia Crystal (foreground) gathered prior to the parade for a group photo in front of Arcata City Hall once their body painting and costumes were ready.
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    The rhythm section of Samba da Alegria then joined the flower girls and dancers for a group photo in front of Arcata City Hall prior to the parade.
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    Stiltwalker Shea Freelove teamed up with the flower girls to help spread flower blossoms along the parade route.
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    The Samba da Alegria dancers make their entrance to the Arcata plaza in front of a packed house.
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    You can’t have a Samba Parade without a large crew of drummers providing the driving beat of the Brazilian rhythms.
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    The flower blossom-strewn east side of the Arcata Plaza made a good dance platform for the Samba da Alegria dancers.
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    This very pregnant woman danced and threw flower blossoms as she helped lead the parade with the young flower girls.
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    Samba da Alegria dancer Danielle Villari Felsenthal, of Arcata, shared this event for the first time with her daughter.
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    The Samba da Alegria dancers moved to the north side of the Arcata Plaza to continue their performance in front of large crowd lining the vendor tents.
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    The Samba Parade includes a mix of historical culture and costumes and flags worn by Samba da Alegria dancers.
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    The Samba da Alegria dancers made their way to the west side of the Arcata plaza, with plenty of hydration breaks in the warm, humid weather.
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    Johanna Nagan, one of two Samba da Alegria dancers leading the parade, paused to entertain a couple of tired flower girls using the empty flower cart as a sag wagon.
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    The drummers pound out the driving beat.
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    As the Samba Parade dancers performed on the final south side of the Arcata Plaza, rain clouds were rapidly approaching from the west.