Lake Worth turns into Whoville
The Grinch, t h a t h a i r y, grumpy green t hi ng, i s t he ultimate Debbie Downer.
The irascib l e r e c l u s e , a f t e r a l l , b e l i e v e d h e could keep Christmas from coming by stealing all the presents and holiday decorations in Whoville. But those cheerful Whos taught The Grinch a life lesson by showing him that Christmas doesn’t come in a store because the holiday means a whole lot more — the ultimate dig at Christmas commercialism if you ask me.
Dr. Seuss’ “How The Grinch Stole Chri stmas” remains a timeless classic, a story that never gets old. And one that gets played in my house every year because it brings out the child in my 54-year-old self.
Lake Worth will channel the show’s joyful spirit at its 51st annual Holiday Parade on Saturday.
This year’s theme: “Grinchmas.”
“You may see a Grinch or two,” hints Juan Ruiz, the city’s leisure services director. “You know how Lake Worth likes to Kevin D. Thompson be different.”
The rain-or-shine parade is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. at the corner of Lucerne Avenue and Federal Highway. Look for about 2,000 participants — bands, cheerleaders, floats, neighborhood associations, c iv i c g roups, a nt i que c a r s , dance groups and neighborhood schools.
“It’s a cool opportunity for the community to bond,” Ruiz says.
Three celebrity judges who still need to be confirmed will be there to give awards for, among other things, best marching band, best decorated vehicle, best performing group, best Grinch and Who costume.
From noon to 5 p.m., the Kiwanis Club will host a Winter Wonderland at the Cultural Plaza where there will be performances, bounce houses and food vendors. Santa will be on hand for photo ops and the city will raffle 100 new bikes.
Ruiz says Lake Worth begins preparing for the parade Oct. 1. The budget is $19,000, which is $9,000 more than what Lake Worth spends on its annual Veterans Day Parade.
“This one has more bands and it’s triple the size,” Ruiz says.
The biggest challenge is keeping everyone safe.
“When y o u h a v e 2,000 people in a parade, it can get a little scary,” Ruiz says. “We’ve been incident free for the mo s t p a r t , but it takes a lot of coordination and being organized.”
When Ruiz took over managing the parade eight years ago, one of the first things he did was make it an evening event.
“All the other towns were doing daytime parades,” Ruiz says. “I thought the change would be a cool way to increase partic ipation and make the parade better. This parade is the true character of Lake Worth and where you get to see the beauty of our city.”
Even The Grinch, he of the sinister scowl, would have to agree.