Showers Fail to Dampen Parade’s Christmas Spirit

It was a bona fide Christmas parade, complete with floats, balloons, cartoon characters, even Hollywood stars.

The steady rain that drenched the 25,000 spectators who lined the downtown streets of Santa Ana for the third annual Toys on Parade pageantry only served to add a little color, and humor, to the festivities.

Kids bundled in plastic bags resembled gnomes who could have easily marched in the parade. Umbrellas in all colors glowed despite the darkened skies and the continuous rain.

But as most of the children out to greet giant helium-filled balloons resembling such characters as Felix the Cat, Lambchop and Popeye confirmed, rain was not nearly enough to dampen the parade spirit.

Steady Drizzles

Steady drizzles that at moments escalated to downpours were present throughout the two-hour parade. Almost on cue, the rains ceased minutes after the last of the 90 units completed the two-mile route. An hour later, the sun was shining brightly.

Santa Ana Police Lt. Ken Hall, who commanded the tactical unit for the parade, was awed at the turnout despite the horrible weather.

“Ten minutes before the parade started, you couldn’t count seven or eight people out here,” said Hall, umbrella safely in hand.

“I’m really surprised to see this many people out here. But I think it’s great,” he added.

Small toddlers in mothers’ arms and full-grown men were draped well enough to brave the elements. Jack Lyon, wearing a bright red parka overcoat and hunter’s cap, was not the least bit intimidated by the elements.

“A parade is a parade. The hell with the weather,” he said.

Clarisse Johnson found an ingenious way to keep her children, Brian, 6, and Rebecca, 4, warm. The two brown-haired children were completely covered with huge plastic garbage bags. With only their tiny faces exposed, the youngsters looked like gnomes who could have inconspicuously joined the parade participants.

‘Bundled Them Up’

“They’ve been looking forward to the parade. It would have been impossible to keep them home this morning, so I just bundled them well,” Johnson said.

If anyone was dry Saturday, it was the two hosts for the live telecast of the parade. Alan Thicke, star of the television program “Growing Pains,” and Tawny Little, KABC-TV anchor, were perched under a canopy. Some of the TV stars, including grand marshals Lorenzo Lamas and Ana-Alicia of “Falcon Crest,” rode in antique convertibles.

Toys on Parade, staged by the City of Santa Ana, Childrens Hospital of Orange County and various businesses, is the second largest Christmas pageant in the western United States and is also the official sponsor of “Toys for Tots.”

Scores of U.S. Marines carrying banners promoting the “Toys for Tots” program stood on street corners collecting toys that will be distributed to needy children.

A cadre of postal workers also collected letters to Santa Claus from children in the crowd. Elise Swanson, coordinator of the parade, said the letters will be be answered by “elves” at the Santa Ana Community Events Center.