Santa Ana : City Expects to Spend $200,000 for Parade

The city expects to spend about $200,000 on the second “Toys on Parade” on Dec. 7, but officials are hoping that corporate sponsorship will bring in enough revenue to break even.

Last year’s event, the only West Coast parade featuring balloon-type floats, drew more than 65,000 people to the parade route with an estimated 300,000 more watching on television. However, the city spent about $125,000 and wound up with a $50,000 deficit on the affair, according to Dori Kopacz of the Visitor and Cultural Events Center.

Corporations will be sought to sponsor each of seven balloons, seven conventional floats, marching bands and other entries in the parade, said city spokeswoman Laurie Cottrell. She said the corporations would also supply some of the manpower to help operate the floats.

The City Council approved $78,500 in television contracts for the parade Monday. KTLA-Channel 5 will broadcast the 90-minute event live for a $51,000 fee, with the city collecting revenues for commercials shown during the program.

Field Video Fax, which also produces the Rose Parade and Angels baseball games, will produce the program for $51,000. The telecast, anchored by television personalities Shari Lewis and Bob Eubanks, will also be beamed to Texas, Arizona and New Mexico via satellite.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on a route from 17th and Main streets south to Civic Center Drive and includes balloons depicting the Pillsbury Doughboy, Shari Lewis’ famed puppet character Lamb Chop, Big Al the Alligator and Popeye. The balloons, some as high as 65 feet, are made by a Pasadena firm.