PARADE PEOPLE; CHATSWORTH CHEERS THE HOLIDAYS.Byline: Ivan Sciupac Daily News Staff Writer The Christmas-Holiday Parade this year brought the traditional bands, cheerleaders Notable cheerleaders
And for basketball-starved fans, there was something more. NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936–October 12, 1999), nicknamed Wilt the Stilt and The Big Dipper, was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player for the Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors, the was the parade's grand marshal this year, a treat for fans who have been missing basketball because of the league's lockout lockout, intentional closing up of a company, factory, or shop by an employer to prevent employees from working during a strike or labor dispute. The term lockout . ``It's always nice to see people remember you,'' Chamberlain said as he waved to his fans. ``I'm enjoying it.'' Chamberlain said he also enjoyed being part of the community during the holidays. ``This is the base and core of what America's all about,'' Chamberlain said. The spirit of the season seemed to drift along with the 15th annual event. Hundreds of San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. residents lined the sidewalk down Devonshire Street, cheering and waving to the participants. For Chatsworth residents Susan Harper and her husband, Carl, the parade is the official start of the holiday season. ``We can't really get into the spirit of Christmas until we come here,'' Harper said while adjusting her Santa cap. ``Now it feels like the holiday season.'' State Sen. Cathie Wright, R-Simi Valley, was participating in her fourth parade in two weeks. Wright, who admits she can't get enough of parades, rode along in a vintage 1957 Corvette corvette, small warship, classed between a frigate and a sloop-of-war. Corvettes usually were flush-decked and carried fewer than 28 guns. They were widely employed in escorting convoys and attacking merchant ships during the great naval wars of the late 18th and , waving to on-lookers. ``I like people, I like to watch the kids have fun,'' Wright said. Other public officials included City Councilman Hal Bernson and Charter Reform Commissioner Paula Boland. As the parade made its way down Devonshire from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to Mason Park, participants passed out candy canes and entertained the crowd with holiday music, acrobatics acrobatics Art of jumping, tumbling, and balancing. The art is of ancient origin; acrobats performed leaps, somersaults, and vaults at Egyptian and Greek events. Acrobatic feats were featured in the commedia dell'arte theatre in Europe and in jingxi (“Peking and Christmas songs. The Valley Village Holiday Carolers belted out tunes such as ``Jingle Bell Rock'' while riding on a makeshift Santa sled; members of Chatsworth Karate performed fight routines; and Shriners dressed like clowns seemed to bring out the smile from every child. One clown with orange hair, a red nose and blue suspenders walked alongside the crowd giving children hugs. Other clowns from the Woodland Hills Shrine Club drove around in miniature-size vehicles, danced around the street and played hillbilly music. ``It feels like I'm at the circus,'' said Ed Collins of Simi Valley, as his grandson ran to get a hug from the orange-haired clown. CAPTION(S): 2 photos PHOTO (1) Grand marshal and NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain reaches out at the Christmas-Holiday Parade in Chatsworth on Sunday. (2) Becky Akerblum, left, and Eileen Christiansen look ready to join Santa's sleigh sleigh: see sled. . Tom Mendoza/Daily News |
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