Festival of Lights still draws a crowd
By Eliza Ridgeway, Town Crier Staff Writer
 Children wave to Santa Claus as he proceeds down Main Street Sunday night during Los Altos’ annual Festival of Lights Parade. |
Sunday’s chilly but clear night ushered in Los Altos’ 28th Festival of Lights Parade. About 900 participants, including floats, dancing characters and six high school bands, thrilled a crowd of more than 25,000 bundled watchers.
A cascade of bubbles from the carousel of the Snow Queen’s float began the parade, and gusts of snowflakes blew across Santa’s sleigh, the traditional finale.
As always, the event’s theme was “holiday fantasy through the eyes of a child,” according to Festival of Lights Association member Brown Taylor.
“It started as a whimsical fantasy that young people have, and we’ve built on that theme with improved technology and lighting,” he said.
The costuming station set up inside the Curves and Los Altos Karate studios buzzed with activity at 5:30 p.m. as costumes billowed out of their storage trunks and characters lined up for makeup and wigs.
“Has anybody seen Little Bo Peep?” a coordinator called into the crowded room, and characters parted to reveal the frilly pink- and-white shepherdess perched on a makeup stool. Bo Peep’s light-bedecked bustle was one of this year’s new costumes from volunteer seamstresses Catherine Christian and Sharon Chioffi.
Behind the scenes, the day began early for the volunteers who started planning this parade last January. The Festival of Lights Parade Association operates the event on an annual budget of about $20,000 a year. Individual donations augment the association’s annual fund-raisers, Rancho Shopping Center’s “Rock back the Clock” and downtown’s Antiques & Collectibles Faire.
Babar and Celeste had a close call making it to the parade. A traffic snarl on Foothill held up the elephant couple and gave their costumer Lee Lynch an anxious wait.
The Tin Man reported that his new costume had been a “highly coveted role.” The parade veteran has previously played the Big Bad Wolf and a reindeer, but he prefers the promotion to the creaking hero.
A 10-family group of almost 60 people set up at the corner of State and Third streets with tables of goodies and coffee to turn their wait into a party. The cordoned-off cul de sac became a play arena for the 18 toddlers and seven infants Jan Dunne of Mountain View estimated to be in the party.
Bruce Homer took a post on State Street in an orange vest, radio in hand, as one of the local volunteer Ham operators who assist parade communications every year. The operators respond to lost children and other surprise parade occurrences. “Nobody’s lost yet,” he reported at 6 p.m.
New residents to the area Ken Stevens and his son Michael of Los Altos Hills learned about the parade that morning when Ken picked up his morning coffee and saw a poster. “We’ve been down here since 5,” he reported as Michael tucked into some warm pizza, which seemed to be a favorite food among waiting young parade goers in the cold this year.
One group in the parade didn’t mind the chill - the Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes pulling a three-wheeled Christmas chariot for the Bay Area Siberian Husky Club. These parade regulars glowed with Christmas lights on their harnesses.
“It’s really hard to keep excited dogs standing around for hours,” said club coordinator Marie Stevens. “They love to get out and run.”
Britney Loveall came to the parade for the first time on her dad’s shoulders more than a decade ago, and the tradition has begun her holiday season every year since.
This year she and her mom, Kathy, brought Duke, a 1-year-old black lab rescued from Hurricane Katrina after his house was destroyed.
“I live in Palo Alto, but this is my downtown,” Kathy said. “I’m from the Midwest and this is the closest town to reminding me of home.”
This local affair, not advertised in a bid to preserve its small-town feel, still drew enthusiasts from the larger area, including San Jose, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and out of state.
About 30 floats traversed State and Main streets pulled by John Deere tractors, people, huskies and trunk engines. Mountain View High School’s 190-student marching band sported glowing epaulets as it stretched for more than a block.
Peter Pan’s crew followed the band, with a creeping crocodile trailing behind Smee. Captain Hook elicited shrieks from the crowd as he dramatically menaced children on the curb.
New this year were Lou Brossard’s electroluminescent fantasy butterflies, flitting along on scooters behind six gleaming fish manipulated by students from the Los Altos Kiwanis Key Club. Many parade onlookers sported newly purchased glowing necklaces.
The profits from their sale support next year’s parade courtesy of Meryle Sussman and Cashin Company Realtors.
Sunday’s chilly but clear night ushered in Los Altos’ 28th Festival of Lights Parade. About 900 participants, including floats, dancing characters and six high school bands, thrilled a crowd of more than 25,000 bundled watchers.
A cascade of bubbles from the carousel of the Snow Queen’s float began the parade, and gusts of snowflakes blew across Santa’s sleigh, the traditional finale. As always, the event’s theme was “holiday fantasy through the eyes of a child,” according to Festival of Lights Association member Brown Taylor.
“It started as a whimsical fantasy that young people have, and we’ve built on that theme with improved technology and lighting,” he said.
