Dansco celebrates the Mother Goose Parade!
braddick
Posts: 24,178 ✭✭✭✭✭
Families in New York City have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Families in San Diego County have the pre-Thanksgiving Mother Goose Parade.
Held the Sunday before Thanksgiving, this year's parade marks its 70th anniversary.
Where: Downtown Main Street, from El Cajon Boulevard, heading east along Main Street, finishing at First Street, in El Cajon.
The parade features a huge helium-filled Mother Goose balloon that is always first in line. It will float down Main Street starting at 1 p.m.
The popular parade is one of the largest parades in Southern California and officially kicks off the holiday season in East County. There will be about 100 parade entries coming from all over the country, including floats, marching bands and drill units, clowns, equestrians and special guests. Santa will ride into town on his special sleigh, closing out the parade.
The 2-mile route will start at the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Main Street, proceeding east along Main Street and finishing at First Street.
Alpine resident Mark Grant, a former major league baseball starting pitcher, is this year's grand marshal. Grant is the colorful commentator for the San Diego Padres' television broadcasts and has been honored numerous times for his contributions to the community.
This year's parade will also feature other homegrown talents, including veteran radio personality Shotgun Tom Kelly and Ken Kramer, creator and former host of "About San Diego".
Kramer has ridden in the parade off and on for the past 10 years, and as an East County resident, he loves that local schools, community groups, marching bands, scout troops and car clubs all get their day in the sun.
"It always sort of marks the unofficial kick-off of the holiday season for me," said Kramer. "It's big enough that you say, 'Wow, this is cool that so many people come out,' and yet it's local enough that you see so many friends along the route that you know from the neighborhood Starbucks or the grocery store."
In its early days, the parade was huge, recalled Kramer. About 400,000 people would crowd into El Cajon, drawing heavily on Hollywood celebrity participants. Kramer now believes that the parade has rediscovered its local roots, and from his point of view, that makes it a sweeter, more community-based event.
Holiday Lights on Main Street will also be on Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Prescott Promenade on East Main Street. Browse through Santa's Village featuring ice skating, carnival rides, food and a special appearance by Santa. A tree-lighting ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. on the corner of Main Street and Magnolia Avenue. Last year, there were 1,000 people in attendance.
Walt Disney was a fan of the Mother Goose Parade. Mickey Mouse was grand marshal of the parade in 1973, 1976, 1985, 1997 and 2004.
peacockcoins
Comments
Why mother goose? Is there a connection?
Since 1947, the annual Mother Goose Parade has kicked off the season of holiday festivities in San Diego County.
It started as a small community parade put on by local merchants to delight El Cajon children and to draw families to El Cajon’s downtown.
The first parade was held on a Friday night, on Nov. 28, 1947. Officials estimated that 20,000 people attended, at a time when the city’s population was about 5,000.
Witnesses to that first parade saw handmade floats featuring characters from classic nursery rhymes including Humpty Dumpty and Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.
In 1951 the parade moved to a Sunday afternoon and drew even bigger crowds. In the 1960’s non-fairytale characters began to join in the mix.
The Mother Goose parade is now traditionally held on the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving.
peacockcoins
@braddick ... So they also issue a token each year?? Are they all a base metal or are there some PM tokens?? Cheers, RickO
Don't they have some sorta balloon fest out west as well? I thought San Diego
Great albums! I didn't know this existed!
I know there are balloon fests in both Albuquerque and Colorado Springs.
Steve D
As a kid, my sister, parents and I went to the parade nearly every year in the 1970s. We'd sit in the bleachers on Magnolia Ave. I've got pictures somewhere of the Banana Splits characters riding in Volkswagen Bugs in the parade.
Steve D
Wow.
I have always heard about the parade.
I live only a few away from the parade route.
I have never seen it tho nor the cool album.