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Published on 11/16/1998 All articles from this issue

Downtown parade set to light up this Sunday

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By Clyde Noel

Special to the Town Crier

The 21st annual Festival of Lights Parade illuminates downtown Los Altos, beginning 7 p.m. this Sunday, weather permitting.

Organizers had to overcome one major obstacle so far this year when they could not secure vacant downtown space to outfit parade participants. The costume preparations will be done at an off-site location, said Conrad Heintzelman, a member of the Festival of Lights Association.

Marie Backs, president of the Festival of Lights Association, said approximately 25 floats will be in this year's parade, in addition to numerous individual performers. New entries include an inflatable toy soldier balloon, about 10 feet high, created by the parade association and sponsored by Young Villagers, a downtown children's clothing store. Foothill College also will be represented with a toy Christmas train float that will hold 12 riders. The Los Altos Village Association, the downtown Los Altos merchants group, will offer carriage rides, with the carriage all aglow, of course.

Fiber-optics will be employed to light up some parade participants, including a running horse, butterfly and stilt walkers.

This year also will mark the return of the Olde Towne Band, which will be riding in the parade because of Los Altos Rotary Club and Community Foundation contributions.

Backs said this year's parade involves 130 costumes, and up to 200 people who help with makeup and other preparation. The lack of a downtown set-up location made such preparation especially difficult this year, she noted.

Up until this year, the association had been able to find the minimum 1,000 square feet of ground-level downtown office space it needs to get participants ready. The lack of donors this year forced parade organizers to move to the former St. William school site on Rosita Avenue.

Backs said the parade costs about $20,000 annually.

Community organizers hold two major fund-raisers every year to make the parade possible including, the 1950s theme-festival "Rock Back the Clock," which raised $5,000 this year, and the Antiques and Collectibles Fair, which raised $6,000.

The additional money needed to put on the parade comes from donations.

The Festival of Lights Parade was the brainchild of downtown merchants Marion Jackston and Hope Higbee, who were inspired by the Disneyland light parade. In 1977, they convinced the Los Altos Village Association to stage a parade after Thanksgiving that would get people in the holiday spirit.

"Everybody tries to help out because the parade is a nice part of Americana," Heintzelman said.

Anyone interested in making a donation, should send a check to Los Altos Festival of Lights Association, P.O. Box 1996, Los Altos 94023.