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Published on 11/23/1998 All articles from this issue

Not a dry eye at the parade

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The Festival of Lights goes on, draws a crowd, despite rain, approaching storm

By Bruce Barton and Clyde Noel

Town Crier Staff Report

It's a tradition: Santa Claus always rides on the last float in the Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade. And when Santa came to the end of the parade route Sunday night, his white beard was dripping wet.

Still, Mother Nature held off on her downpour just long enough to avoid putting a damper on the annual downtown spectacle.

The impending storm also did not stop the thousands of children and adults who lined the parade route along Main and State streets.

The 21st Festival of Lights Parade comprised more than 80 entries. They included 25 floats, clowns, carolers, marching groups and glowing stiltwalkers.

Among the participants were six high school musical groups from Los Altos, Mountain View, St. Francis, Homestead, Fremont and Monta Vista. Along with perennial floats like Le Boulanger's gingerbread house, this year's parade marked the first for a Christmas train float sponsored by Foothill College.

Foothills Congregational Church's Mayflower float, a replica of the ship at Plymouth Rock in 1620, also navigated the parade route, accompanied by pilgrims and American Indians.

Charlotte Winguth said the 10-foot-long float, designed by engineer Whitey Wright, has participated in parades the past 10 years. Winguth is especially proud of the float after a trip to Plymouth in 1995 for a look at the real thing. "We were surprised how good it (the float) was," she said.

Representatives of Earth Circus Productions of Half Moon Bay drew some oohs and ahs from the crowd, with their dazzling fiber optic designs. One design that especially stood out was a large, multi-colored butterfly with its flapping light wings.

"It's a little different," said stiltwalker Anne Reeb of Earth Circus. She said the group planned to return next year.

Members of the Menlo Park Fireman's Association provided a some comic relief with their entry, a house on fire and a man, dressed as a woman in a nightgown, yelling for help. Firefighters apparently rescued the "woman" several times during the parade route, carrying her away as they doused the smoking house with fire extinguishers.

Mary and Terry Bevins, and their two children, Kelly and Chris, have missed only two Festival of Lights parades in the last 20 years. They live in Palo Alto, but come here every year so their kids can see Santa. This year, they brought along a new family member - their 18-month-old grandchild, Molly. Terry said the weather doesn't bother them. "It's a sight to see," he said.

Some people like Olive and Jim Imbernon of Los Altos Hills make it an afternoon-evening affair.

"This parade is wonderful and we bring along our friends and tailgate in the parking lot," Olive said. "We get here at 5 p.m. and order Chinese (food) from Charley's Restaurant, then we all eat in the truck. It's great to be this close to a parade."

Blankets, lounge chairs, tarps and stools begin to litter the sidewalks as early as 4 p.m. as avid parade-goers sought the best vantage points.

For the next three hours people walk around sipping hot refreshments while standing on street corners chatting with neighbors.

A big pre-parade hit appeared to be the neon light ropes in abundance that kids were tossing in the air and wearing on around their necks.

Bart Nelson, a member of the Los Altos Sunset Rotary Club, said members the parade as a fund-raiser for the club by selling the multi-colored, glow-in-the-dark ropes for $2 a piece.

Cress McFall and his wife Paula have been coming to the parade for the last 27 years. Cress comes around 5 p.m. and sets up chairs for the group while Paula gets something to eat.

"We sponsored a float in the parade for more than 10 years when we had Barber Properties," Cress said. "It's that small-town spirit that you can't get anywhere else that makes you proud you live in the area."

Betty Cawkings, who lives in Fremont, found out about the parade through her friends. She and her friends meet each year for what has become an annual social event for them.

The Festival of Lights Parade started in 1977 as the brainchild of Marion Jackston and Hope Higbee. They convinced the Los Altos Village Association to stage the parade after Thanksgiving to get people in the holiday spirit. Starting with a few costumed characters out of fairy tale books, tiny lights and a jolly Santa Claus, the parade has turned into one of the most high-profile events in Los Altos, supporters said, second only to the annual Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival.

By the 7 p.m. parade starting time, downtown merchants have closed their doors, but Los Altos restaurants remain open and do good business.

Craig Shanholtz, of Mac's American Grill, said the restaurant does well on the night of the parade.

"We don't see any of our regulars - they don't come downtown because of the traffic," Shanholtz said. "The police department changes parking patterns each year so the regulars don't like to drive all over town to get here. Parade-goers make up the difference."

Despite the rainy night, the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor on State Street was packed with a post-parade crowd.

Marie Backs, president of the Festival of Lights Parade Association, said it takes more than 200 volunteers to make the 50-minute parade happen. She said a core group of about 35 are involved in year-round planning that includes two major fund-raisers. This year was especially tough logistically, as organizers scrambled to find downtown retail space in which to store costumes. Lacking available space, they had to settle for room at the former St. William School on Rosita Avenue across town.

Backs said the owners of West Coast Karate at Second and State streets offered their space for costume changing, but it still meant lugging all the costumes from the school to the karate studio. If the parade had been rained out, Backs said putting the parade on the following week would have forced them to use St. William for costume changing since the karate studio will be in use this weekend.