Honk on! Truckers parade is Dec. 11
On Dec. 11, the 33rd annual Truckers Christmas Parade will roll, honk and sparkle through Eureka streets once again.
The parade features dozens of enormous 18-wheel big rigs decked out in a blinding array of Christmas lights, and starts at 6 p.m. at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds on Harris Street, turns right on I Street, then on to Seventh St. and right again on Myrtle Ave., circling back to the fairgrounds.
“There’ll probably be more than one Santa Claus, so that will confuse the children and then there will be no doubt everybody trying to do Jingle Bells on their horns, which doesn’t work, but they keep trying. It’s all part of the fun,” Rex Bohn, Humboldt County’s 1st District supervisor, said.
The parade is being put on by “Rex (Bohn) and Friends” and the proceeds from donations and trucker entry fees will go to the Boys & Girls Club of the Redwoods, which received about $25,000 from last year’s parade. This year, the parade will attempt to raise $30,000, according to Bohn.
The Boys & Girls Club did not respond to a request for comment before the publishing deadline.
While the parade netted more than 50 sponsors, this year, the lead ones include Shafer’s Ace Hardware, Valley Petroleum, and the Mercer Fraser Co.
To enter the parade, truckers can download the entry form at https://bit.ly/3kOQgJe and mail it to Rex & Friends Trucker’s Christmas Parade, P.O.Box 6024, Eureka, CA 95502 along with a $35 entry fee check made out to Rex & Friends 2021 CTP by Dec. 9. Additional questions may be directed at 707-599-4171 or truckersparade31@gmail.com.
Bohn estimated this year could draw out as many as 20,000 people to watch the parade, which “goes on rain or shine.” He also added that at least one undisclosed truck will have a live band performing on it.
The outdoor nature of the parade combined with the advent of vaccines make the deadly coronavirus pandemic a less pressing concern for this year’s parade, according to Bohn.
Local law enforcement
will assist with safety at the parade.
“It’s been a labor of love for everybody involved because it means so much
to the community,” Bohn said.