Parade Aid the Goal of Telethon

For alternative rock band Urban Sprawl, the chance to headline Saturday’s telethon to raise money for the city’s 92nd annual Fourth of July parade is welcome exposure.

“It allows us to be seen in the Huntington Beach area without having to go out and [perform] in a club,” said Euqubud Mot, the band’s drummer and a Huntington Beach resident.

Mot’s band is among local entertainment booked for the 10-hour telethon to air on the city’s cable station HBTV-3.

“I think the telethon is a great idea,” Mot said, “because when people hear of telethons, they feel like they’re giving their money to a worthy cause.”

City officials and the Fourth of July Executive Board came up with the idea for the telethon, which will feature nearly two dozen acts, from acrobats to high school bands, as a way to raise money to offset the cost of the annual holiday parade.

Huntington Beach actors Don and Dan Stanton, featured in “Terminator II,” will be among the celebrity guests.

Pam Julien, executive board chairwoman, said she has high expectations that the telethon and a host of other fund-raisers, organized by the seven-member board with help from more than 200 volunteers, will be a hit.

“It takes a lot of dollars to support having a successful parade,” she said.

Financing for the parade, themed “Salute to the Olympic Games” this year, is also coming from contributions made by residents, business owners and corporations.

Julien said it costs about $175,000 to put on the parade and the various fund-raising events.

The telethon, Julien said, will promote a new project, Parade 2000, which offers people a chance to support the parade through memberships and annual renewal fees.

One benefit is that members will have their names placed on a donor wall at City Hall.

The goal is to get 2,000 members by the year 2000.

Julien said the board is also trying to raise money from merchandise sales, a fireworks show, a 5K run and expo, and the “Red, White and Blue Bash” on July 3 at the Waterfront Hilton, open to the public at $37.50 a person.

For Saturday’s telethon, volunteer operators will be taking pledge calls at (714) 374-1700 from noon to 10 p.m. Information: (714) 374-1535.