Redlands Christmas Parade Committee Seeking Parade Entries and Sponsorships

The Kiwanis Club of Redlands–Noon is seeking sponsorships and accepting entry applications for the 24th annual Redlands Christmas Parade “Christmas Around the World” scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 in downtown Redlands. This parade is also part of the city’s 125th Christmas celebration. With local celebrity and cooking guru Martha Green as Grand Marshal, this citywide event is expected to bring together thousands of people from throughout the Inland Empire for a celebration of the holidays. The parade committee is currently seeking entries of classic cars, sports teams, marching bands, floats, equestrians, scout troops, carolers, area dignitaries, or any other type of fun and creative entry that will help to spread the holiday spirit and create warm and wonderful memories for spectators. The entry fee is $20 for individuals and non-profit organizations and $30 for commercial entries. Please go to www.redlands-events.com/XMAS.htm to download and print the application. Please mail the completed application and entry fee to the Kiwanis Club of Redlands–Noon, PO Box 8427, Redlands, CA 92375. Checks should be made payable to the Kiwanis Club of Redlands. Entry applications must be received by Nov. 20. Additionally, parade sponsors are needed to help make the Redlands Christmas Parade a successful event. Sponsorship levels range from $100 to $1,000 and must be received immediately to ensure that businesses are included in all areas of the chosen sponsorship. Businesses interested in becoming a parade sponsor may contact Dave Ahlers at 909-792-4016. Parade participants and spectators should dress warmly, arrive early and bring chairs and blankets as the best seats along the parade route fill up early. The parade will begin on Citrus Avenue, near the Redlands Mall. Participants will travel east on Citrus to 8th Street, head north on 8th, then west on East State Street. From there, the parade will travel south on Orange Street back to Citrus Avenue, then head west on Citrus. The parade will end on Eureka and West State streets, just outside the Redlands Mall. For those unable to attend, the parade will also be televised on Time Warner Cable Channel 3 and Verizon Channel 35. A DVD of the parade will also be available for purchase. In 1988, the City of Redlands sponsored the community-wide event, but could not afford to continue to do so. Therefore Larry Statler, then chairman of the Easter Parade, and a few others took it upon themselves to continue the festivities. The original parade committee consisted of five members, including Larry Statler of Statler’s Jewelers, Tom Nelson of the Bootery, Linda Johnson and Daney Bachiu of Redlands Blue Print, and Dean Strella of the Redlands Daily Facts. In 1992 the Kiwanis Club of Redlands–Noon took over the management of the parade as a way to give back to the children of Redlands. In 1995, the previously daytime parade began running at night. Last year, an estimated 25,000 spectators lined the streets for the event, and countless others watched it on Redlands TV. For further information, please contact Dave Ahlers at 909-792-4016.