By Clyde Noel

Town Crier Correspondent

Festival of Lights parade this Sunday at 7 p.m.

Look out for the crocodile with nibbling jaws roaming State and Main streets Sunday evening. It’s the 24th annual Festival of Lights Parade starting at 7 p.m.

The crocodile is one of this year’s new additions.

The one-hour parade features hundreds of participants, dozens of huge floats and more than 20,000 spectators viewing the procession as it travels downtown Main and State streets. Marching bands from Homestead, Mountain View, Saint Francis, Fremont and Los Altos high schools will play and sing Christmas songs as they march.

Mike Balster, president of the festival association, said volunteers did a lot of work since last year’s parade.

“We spruced up the floats and put new lights in the costumes. We’re beginning to use electro-luminescent lights because the costumes are easier to maintain,” Balster said.

Spectators come early to claim their seats on the sidewalk, spreading their blankets by 4:30 p.m. and socializing with friends from the neighborhood. When the parade starts, spectators shake hands with many of the costumed characters on the parade route.

The parade costs about $20,000 annually. Community organizers hold two major fund-raisers every year to make the parade possible. Rancho Shopping Center’s Rock Back the Clock promotion and the Antiques and Collectibles Fair provide some of the costs. The remainder is derived from donations.