El Cajon’s first Mother Goose Parade held in 1947
Since 1947, the annual Mother Goose Parade has kicked off the season of holiday festivities in San Diego County.
It started as a small community parade put on by local merchants to delight El Cajon children and to draw families to El Cajon’s downtown.
The first parade was held on a Friday night, on Nov. 28, 1947. Officials estimated that 20,000 people attended, at a time when the city’s population was about 5,000.
Witnesses to that first parade saw handmade floats featuring characters from classic nursery rhymes including Humpty Dumpty and Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater.
In 1951, the parade moved to a Sunday afternoon and drew even bigger crowds. In the 1960s, non-fairy-tale characters began to join in the mix.
The Mother Goose Parade is now traditionally held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
In 2020 — and again for the 75th anniversary celebration this year — El Cajon’s Mother Goose Parade was virtual due to the pandemic. Links to the video celebrations can be found at mothergooseparade.org.
The last in-person event was held in 2019.
Here’s a look back and Union coverage of the first parade. From The San Diego Union, Saturday, Nov. 29, 1947:
20,000 IN EL CAJON SEE CHRISTMAS PARADE
EL CAJON, Nov. 28 (Special) — El Cajon tonight was host to its largest crowd in history — estimated by the State Highway Patrol at 20,000 persons — for a Mother Goose parade which officially opened the Christmas season in the County.
Forty “nursery rhyme” floats representing Valley merchants and organizations were lined up with the Grossmont High School band and choral group for a mile-long parade through the business district.
The event, sponsored jointly by El Cajon Chamber of Commerce and Junior Chamber of Commerce, also marked the unveiling of exterior store decorations and window displays.
Prize winning floats were: Merchants — Humpty Dumpty, Tuttle Bros.; Organizations — Rockabye Baby, Kiwanis Club; and Unaffiliated — Old Mother Goose, El Cajon Girl Scouts.
Selected as the most attractive window displays were those of the Tasty Bake Shop, Evelyn Wigton’s, The Hayseed and Mabelle Smith Valley Studio.
After the parade and judging, the Junior Chamber presented a Nativity pageant at the corner of Main and Magnolia Sts.
John Hobbs and Dave Caters were Chairmen of the Decorations and Parade committees, respectively. Assisting in staging the event were Russ Tuttle, Barney McAvoy, Al Cantwell, Bill Bain, Bud Scars Jr., Larry Riddle, Sam Scott and Frederick Wynkoop.
El Cajon will present another pre-Christmas celebration Sunday when Santa Claus will arrive at Gillespie Field by plane. He will remain until Christmas Day.
Santa will board a special sleigh 28 feet long, 7 feet wide and 12 feet high, drawn by replicas of the eight reindeer, and ride through town to greet El Cajon children.