PARADE BOWLS CROWDS OVER; BIG GAME NEXT
By Joe Hughes and Paul Telles, Tribune Staff Writers
Marching bands and a festive crowd woke downtown from its usual Sunday slumber as the fifth annual “Holiday in the City” parade roared down Broadway and Fifth Avenue.
In a two-hour prelude to tomorrow’s Sea World Holiday Bowl football game, more than 130 marching bands, floats, color guards and other traditional parade entries entertained a crowd that stood four to five deep yesterday for most of the 12-block route.
Crowd estimates were unavailable as the parade broke up about noon, but parade organizers said they thought the turnout would meet or beat their projection of 50,000.
Parade chairman Kimberly Prickett said the turnout — and the parade itself — were definitely better than those of past years.
“I think it’s getting better and better because we’re getting more quality entries,” Prickett said. “It’s not a smalltown parade anymore. It’s a city parade.”
Led by grand marshal Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss and also the bowl game’s honorary chairman, the parade featured competing high school bands from throughout the western United States, dancing “Lotto balls,” giant inflatable floats, clowns, equestrians and color guards.
The inflatable floats, made by Robert Keith & Co. and ranging from 10 feet to 30 feet in height, towered above spectators. The inflatables included the TraveLodge Sleepy Bear mascot and a giant truck from Lee White Toyota.
Other entries were the Silver Riders equestrian unit, Sea World’s “Fun Ship,” the San Diego State Clown Club, Seaport Village Band and Kazoo the Mime and Drippy the Water Drop.
Also marching were the Llama Association of Southern California, radio station KS-103’s All Transistor Drill Team, the Command Color Guard from the U.S. Naval Air Station at North Island, the mounted U.S. Border Patrol, the Hole in the Wall Gang and Pioneer Hook & Ladder Co.
In addition to Dr. Seuss, VIPs included Mayor O’Connor, Councilman Ed Struiksma, Assemblywoman Lucy Killea, City Attorney John Witt, San Diego Police Chief Bill Kolender, Centre City Association President Clark Siebrand and Convention and Visitors Bureau President Dal Watkins.
The crowd was peppered with Iowans wearing blackand-gold clothes to show their support for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes who will square off with the San Diego State University Aztecs tomorrow. Coming from a state where lows reached 20 yesterday, most of the Iowans listed San Diego’s weather high on their lists of pregame pleasures.