DOWNEY : Parade Organizers Struggle to Raise Funds

Organizers of the annual Holiday Lane Parade are struggling to raise money.

The Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the parade, has raised only one-third of the $27,000 needed to pay for the event. The 43rd annual parade will take place as planned Dec. 4, but officials say it may be the last one if they can’t break even. Parade chairman Michael J. Prokop attributed the financial problems to lack of donations from businesses and a city decision to charge organizers for police patrols and other services, such as setting up bleachers. About 42 of the city’s 2,500 businesses have donated this year, Prokop said.