Perfect Day to Take a Little Ride

For the first time in eight years, the Chatsworth Christmas Parade took place on a day that wasn’t rainy, windy or cold.

So it’s no wonder that the record-tying 83-degree weather was the talk of Sunday afternoon’s event. Even parade grand marshal Wilt Chamberlain, a National Basketball Assn. Hall of Fame center, seemed preoccupied with the seemingly ideal conditions.

“I’m the closest one to the guy upstairs, so I requested good weather,” the 7-foot-2-inch Chamberlain said jokingly. “Actually, I wish he’d tone it down about five degrees less.”

Dressed in a stylish beige leather suit made by a friend more than 25 years ago, Chamberlain waved to the crowd along the 2 1/2-mile route from a shiny, black 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air convertible.

The parade featured more than 1,000 participants, including high school marching bands and drill teams, dignitaries riding in vintage cars, and others from the community on horseback.

Shortly before the parade began, kids surrounded Chamberlain’s car seeking autographs, which he gladly signed for all.

The former Laker, 62, played professional basketball long before any of the youngsters were even born, but somehow the little ones knew he was famous.

“My dad told me who he is,” said one boy, as he dashed off to find his place in the parade lineup.

Chamberlain, who lives on the Westside, agreed to be grand marshal as a favor to a friend who is a member of the Chatsworth Kiwanis, which sponsored the parade.

“Who wouldn’t want to be grand marshal of anything?” Chamberlain asked. “And I really like community events, anyway.”

A Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle unit opened the lightly attended parade with a choreographed riding exercise that included a variety of stunts.

City Councilman Hal Bernson followed shortly, in a 1950s pink Cadillac convertible, and 11 spruced up Corvettes with loud, rumbling engines weren’t far behind.

Many of the entries were from local businesses that have supported the parade through its 15 years.

Maria DeSantiago and her two children, ages 9 and 11, marched the parade’s route along Devonshire Street and Mason Avenue beside a Time Warner Cable car featuring Bugs Bunny.

“I work for the cable company, so we volunteered,” DeSantiago said. “It’s really a lot of fun.”

Of course, the warm temperature, which equaled a high in Chatsworth for the date set in 1977, helped the cause.

LAPD Reserve Officer Karen Kritzberg, who has worked parade security for nearly a decade, summed it up, saying, “This is what a California Christmas parade should be: 80-degree weather.”