CITY PUTS PRIDE ON PARADE THOUSANDS TURN OUT FOR ANNUAL PROMENADE.Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Staff Writer PACOIMA - As the classic cars and marching bands waited to begin the long trek down Van Nuys Boulevard for the 33rd annual Pacoima Christmas Parade on Saturday morning, ``Deck the Halls'' rang out from one of the floats. Members of the Pacoima Middle School Jazz Band, who had minutes before been warming up the crowd with brass-heavy tunes, couldn't help but sing along: ``Fa la la la la, la la la la.'' The parade is a 30-year tradition for Pacoima resident Barbara Padilla and her family. Her father, William ``Papa Billy'' Romero, brought her as a child, and this year she attended with him, her own three children and a niece. She was happy to see thousands lined up to watch along Van Nuys Boulevard, noting a large increase this year in spectators. ``It's fun to have in our community,'' Padilla said. ``This is Pacoima. You don't get much recognition here. All you hear about is violence. . . . It's a good thing to be a part of this community.'' The parade kicked off with a color guard and band representing the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. , followed by grand marshal Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. George Lopez
George C. Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He runs and produces his own show called George Lopez. , a comedian and Mega 92.3 FM radio personality. Over more than two hours, the parade made its way from Amboy Avenue to Glenoaks Boulevard, its more than 60 entries representing many businesses, city services The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. , churches and youth groups. There were equestrians in ranchero ran·che·ro n. pl. ran·che·ros Southwestern U.S. A ranch owner; a rancher. [American Spanish, from rancho, small ranch; see ranch.] outfits, Aztec dancers, folklorico dancers and a youth mariachi band. Girls and boys hailing from local recreation centers and private clubs wore brightly colored uniforms and Santa hats, and performed drills and cheers. The crowd pleasers seemed to be the car clubs. Some of the highly detailed vehicles danced and popped on hydraulics and drew applause with bits of stunt driving. Others - many of them older, classic cars - simply drove by, needing nothing but their looks to get attention from those gathered. And finally, the parade closed with an appearance by Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus sitting high atop a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. City Fire engine. The parade is sponsored by the Pacoima Chamber of Commerce, with co-sponsors Congressman Howard Berman Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). , D-Mission Hills; state Senator Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys; County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky; Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, D-Mission Hills; and City Councilman Alex Padilla. ``After 33 years, this really shows that with the demographics and what little we have here in Pacoima, we can really get together and put on a great parade,'' said Maria Cano, the chamber's chairwoman of events. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Members of the San Fernando High School San Fernando High School, located in San Fernando, California, is a secondary school that is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school colors are black and gold. All girl teams are referred to as Lady Tigers, all boy teams simply as Tigers. Marching Band perform a close-order formation during the 33rd annual Pacoima Christmas Parade on Saturday morning. (2) The Old Classics Car Club cruises down Van Nuys Boulevard in the 33rd annual Pacoima Christmas Parade. (3) Rafael Mendez, a member of the Rodriguez & Solis Charro Group, struts his horse in the Pacoima Christmas Parade. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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