Lodi gears up for 22nd annual Parade of Lights

The Kiwanis Club of Greater Lodi will be hosting the 22nd annual Lodi Parade of Lights on Thursday, Dec. 7 in Downtown Lodi. The parade is scheduled to start at 6:13 p.m.

There will be a pre-staging area for entries at the Grape Bowl, according to Kiwanis Club member and parade organizer Chet Somera. At 4 p.m. the entries will begin staging on Sacramento Street between Lockeford and Turner Road.

The parade will start off going west on Lockeford Street and then south on Church Street. The parade will then head east on Lodi Avenue before heading north on School Street. It will then head east on Locust Street before heading north on Sacramento Street and will end on Sacramento Street north of Lockeford Street.

This year, the parade will have five announcing stations, Somera said. The first station will be at Pine and Church streets and a radio personality from Bull KSTN in Stockton will be the announcer. The second station will be at Walnut and Church streets and will be staffed by Entravision, a local Hispanic radio station. The parade will be announced in both Spanish and English. The third announcing station will be on Lodi Avenue and will be staffed by Telemundo 33. The fourth station will be at Oak and School streets and will be staffed by Modesto’s KAT Country radio station.

This is also where the judging station will be located. The final announcing station will be at School and Elm streets and Bull KSTN will be the announcers for that station as well.

“We have five announcing stations so people throughout the parade route will know whose coming down and exactly what each float is about,” Somera said.

At least 80 entries from the Greater Lodi area as well as Galt and Stockton are set to be in this year’s parade.

Entries include Pacific Coast Producers and its Polar Express Christmas train float, the Lodi Police Department with its armored vehicle that will have a surprise theme and a surprise float from F&M Bank along with several others.

An array of vendors will be stationed along the parade route offering a variety of food selections including Greek, Lockeford sausages, hot dogs, kettle corn and more. There will also be vendors offering toys and trinkets, Somera said.

Somera anticipates 4,000 people will come out to attend the parade. Last year the Kiwanis Club was able to rake in more than $20,000 from the parade and all the proceeds go back into the community for charities such as the Salvation Army and programs and activities that benefit children.

Safety during the parade is a top priority for Kiwanis, Somera said. In order to ensure safety they have required that all vehicles participating in the parade have barriers or safety nets to keep those riding in the back from falling off. They have also partnered with the city to have a trucking company block major intersections during the parade to prevent accidents and delays. Streets included in the parade route will be closed from 4 p.m. until 11:59 p.m. that day.

Somera wanted to give a special thanks to the radio and TV stations announcing the parade and everyone who has worked to make the parade possible. Sanborn Chevrolet is the presenting sponsor for the parade. Food 4 Less and Rancho San Miguel are also major sponsors for the parade along with Cherokee Memorial Park and Waste Management.

“I would just like to give them a shout-out and thank them so much,” Somera said.

He would also like to thank the Lodi Chamber of Commerce and several other community organizations for their support.

The Marines Toy for Tots will have a Humvee and a 7-ton truck riding in the parade, and Somera is asking the community to bring unwrapped toys to donate for children in need.

For more information on the parade contact Somera at 209-426-0965 or email