HISTORY OF THE SANTA MARIA CHRISTMAS PARADE OF LIGHTS

By Jim Bray 

For many years, the Christmas Parade of Lights was organized and run by the Lions Club of Santa Maria. During the first years, the parade ran south on Broadway, from Fesler to Boone Streets. Surprisingly, traffic was allowed to continue on Broadway, using the western lane, and the parade ran down the east side of the street!

In 1994, the parade did not happen at all. Disappointed in the loss of this annual holiday tradition, some local Rotarians in the Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary club decided to take on the project of resurrecting the parade and making it bigger and better than ever. They were assisted with the early financial support of the Santa Maria Times. It was decided to make this a real community event, by asking participants and viewers alike to bring non-perishables to the parade to be donated for the benefit of the Salvation Army. As a result, this effort has grown into the largest canned food drive of its kind on the Central Coast. Last year, almost three tons of canned goods were collected for use in the summer months to follow. Because of the charitable focus of the parade, the theme over the years has been “The Joy of Giving.”

One of the first things organizers did when the parade was revived in 1995 was to change the direction of the parade and start at the Santa Maria Inn and go north, finishing at the Town Center Mall. The Rotarian organizers secured permission from the city and CALTRANS to completely close Broadway during the parade. This allowed viewers to comfortably see the parade from both sides of the street, and provided for greater safety to the participants. Parade organizers also stationed announcers, in English and Spanish, along the parade route.

Realizing this effort was much too big for one Rotary Club, the second year (1996) saw the combination of all three Santa Maria Rotary Clubs (Breakfast, Noon and South), as well as the Rotary Club of Nipomo, come together to organize and run the event. It has been a joint effort ever since.

In 1997, organizers purchased figurines from the proceeds of the sponsorship, and with help from the city, placed them along the median in front of the mall. In 2001, local television stations KCOY and KKFX began broadcasting the parade live. In 2003, due to the large crowds that were turning out for the event – estimated now at some 30,000 people, the parade was extended starting at Stowell and Broadway. For the first time in 2004, new holiday banners were hung on Broadway. These banners were the result of donations from the local Rotary Clubs and the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce.

In 2006, the parade had over 2,500 participants. Approximately 100 local Rotarians, along with almost 250 community volunteers participated in the event. Planning for the parade begins each year in August. As a new feature of the 2006 parade, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter over flew the route to signal the start of the parade. The CHP will again fly over the parade route this year, signifying the start of the 2007 Christmas Parade of Lights.

Rotary is constantly looking for ways to improve the parade. This year, a new feature of the parade experience will be the Rotary Winter Wonderland which will be located at the Town Center Mall on the corner of Broadway and Cook. The Winter Wonderland will encompass an area of approximately 40 ft. by 40 ft. of ice and offer kids up to eight years of age a chance to frolic in a winter snowy environment while enjoying the parade.