Parade of Lights theme is 12 days of Christmas

The Parade of Lights is about more than Christmas spirit; it is about the holiday nostalgia, the showmanship, and the sense of community and camaraderie that is felt as the Christmas season approaches.

The parade illuminates the streets of Downtown with floats adorned in elaborate artistic pieces that are made using Christmas lights. Each float is decorated by a company or organization that is dedicated to entering a submission that incorporates the theme selected by the Kiwanis Club, organizers of the event.

“The theme of the Parade of Lights this year is the 12

days of Christmas. You can expect to see the theme represented on each float,” Kiwanis member Chet Somera said.

This year the Kiwanis have seen more submissions than any other year.

There will be floats from the Marine Corps, The Squeeze Inn, Miss San Joaquin County and many other groups hat have not appeared in the past. The parade will be featuring floats from areas of the county.

As the town embarks on the 23rd Parade of Lights there are many new developments this year that have not been seen in the past. Lodi’s Mackenzie Freed, who was crowned Miss California 2018, will serve as the grand marshal at the parade.

The parade has added two Spanish-speaking booths, one from Telemundo 33 Sacramento, and Univision 19 Sacramento.

“We want to offer booths for our Spanish-speaking community,” said Somera “it’s important that everyone feels welcome to enjoy the parade.”

It is estimated that the crowd of people that have attended in the past few years ranges from 40,000 to 50,000 people. The parade brings people from Stockton, Galt

and Sacramento.

The Parade of lights is preceded by the Hospice of San Joaquin tree lighting ceremony, which will include an invocation by Pastor Glen Barnes from the First Baptist Church. The Lodi High Meistersingers will perform a medley of holiday music, and Lance Selkirk will give a speech honoring his wife Charlie Selkirk, who received services and support from Hospice of San Joaquin.

Somera has assisted with the Parade of Lights since 1995 when he attended as member of the Lodi Police Department and volunteered with planning and working the parade. In the 23 years since it began Somera has only ever watched the parade once himself.

“Every year I get the opportunity to help, it started while the police department, and when I retired I still helped, especially during the transition from the Lodi Chamber of Commerce to the Kiwanis,” said Somera, “I really love helping put this on for the community, because it kicks off the season and it means so much to people in this town.”