This cheerful and energetic small-town parade manifests the spirit of Christmas in true Los Gatos style. Under sunny skies, I found a parking spot on Bachman Street, about 90 minutes before the 11 o’clock start of the parade. I was hoping to shoot some pictures and interview some participants. As I walked down a side street, I came across a group of men standing around a table sipping Bloody Marys. A man wearing a tan vest stood behind the table. He introduced himself as Todd, pictured right, and offered me a Bloody Mary. He explained that he was a volunteer with the Adventure Princesses Organization.
Tod, pictured right, with Adventure Princesses Organization. Photo by Anthony Petrillo.
Todd said,“It’s a YMCA father-daughter organization, where every month we meet together at someone’s house, and we do crafts and things. The girls learn skills, speaking in front of people, building their confidence; we sing songs, tell stories; and every month, there’s an event with a whole bunch of tribes. Its part of a nation, called the El Gato Nation. This is the December event, the Holiday Parade. So we make Bloody Mary’s for this event. And we’ve had years of contests to see who makes the best Bloody Mary. I’m a former bartender, so I have a recipe that I have created for this”. He added, “The girls will ride down the street on their scooters and will throw out candy canes and interact with the crowd, and have some fun”.
I thanked Todd for the interview, and walked down the street.
On another block, I saw a group of firemen standing around a decorated fire truck. Alex Leman, Captain of the Loma Prieta Volunteer Fire and Rescue was with a group of firefighters, waiting for the parade to start. He told me, “We bring our water tender down. We’ve been doing this for about twenty years now, and the local Indian Princess and Indian Guide groups on the hill come down. They usually decorate the water tender, and then we have them ride up on top. So it’s a great opportunity for all the kids to experience the parade together and do some decorating, it’s just a fantastic time for the daughters and the sons and their fathers. It’s an opportunity for the kids to build memories.” I thanked him for his time and continued on.
As I made my way through the growing crowd of holiday and shoppers, the parade began to unfold. Walking down Santa Cruz Avenue, I watched vintage cars slowly make their way down the street. The crowd cheered as Los Gatos Mayor Steve Rice waved to the crowd with a smile. The floats continued to pass as I struggled through the dense crowd. It was estimated that 20,000 spectators attended this event. When I got to the Los Gatos Brewing Company, I walked inside and ordered a Mocha Frappachino. Watching through the large street side windows, I watched the fire truck lumber on, followed by the creeping police cars with the sirens wailing. The black-clad Los Gatos High School Marching Band strode smartly down the street, playing a Christmas tune. After about 200 organizations, the finale was Santa Claus riding in a red sleigh, trailered behind a car. Santa waved, and the crowd cheered watching old Saint Nick disappear around the corner. This was a fun way to celebrate the coming holiday, with a parade, a Bloody Mary and a festive crowd.
