by Ralph Doyle
Rachael Parker was the first person most people saw when they walked into the Manhattan Beach Police Department, and the first voice they heard when they called. She was an MBPD records technician.
Parker was one of 60 killed in 2017 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas.
On Sunday at the annual Manhattan Beach Rotary VetFest, Parker was remembered by her former captain, retired Manhattan Beach Police Captain Tim Hageman. Following his remembrances, VetFest director Chris Ullman announced that the Rotary Scholarship fund that the festival benefits will be renamed in Parker’s honor.
In addition to providing scholarships for Mira Costa, and El Camino College students, the festival benefited the USO; and Team Rubicon, a veterans organization that is presently providing disaster response services in Florida to Hurricane Ian victims.
Ullman describes VetFest as “Cochilla, with one band, but more food. The Members Only Yacht Rock band performs every year. Food this year included a Texas BarBQ, featuring ribs, brisket and pulled pork, courtesy of Kinecta Federal Credit Union CEO Keith Sultemeier, who towed his 16-foot smoker from Texas when he moved to Manhattan Beach. Kinecta is the title sponsor, and also brought its popular Ice Cream truck. Participating restaurants included Rock N Brew, Playa Hermosa Fish & Oyster, Brews Hall, Fish Bar, Lido, and the Creamery. Participating craft breweries will include Common Space, Surfridge, Uplift, El Segundo Brew, Hopsaint, Hermosa Brewing, Smog City, Yorkshire, and Monkish. ER
