Thursday, December 13, 2012

Andre's in the Hollywood Christmas Parade




Andre's in the back!

Andre enjoyed walking in the famous annual Hollywood Christmas Parade with other Trustees of the Hollywood Arts Council. The Hollywood Arts Council is a non-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to contributing to the quality of life in the community of Hollywood by promoting, nurturing and supporting the arts. If you're in the Los Angeles area, you can watch the parade on television on KTLA-TV (Channel 5) from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. on Friday, December 14th. Click here to find out about other national telecasts on the Hallmark Channel and the Armed Forces Network, and check your own local stations for syndicated broadcasts of this popular event.

Historical perspective: The first Santa Claus Lane Parade (as it used to be called) was held in 1928. In an effort to attract shoppers and their families to Hollywood Boulevard during the holiday season, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce came up with the idea of the parade. The Chamber started out by decorating Hollywood Boulevard with live Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations. Then to add excitement to the event, a live reindeer pulled a sleigh carrying Santa Claus and Jeanette Loff down Hollywood Boulevard - and that was the parade!

It's more elaborate now: More than 5,000 people participated in this year's event, which included a pre-show featuring acts by Cirque du Soleil. In the parade were 21 marching bands from all over the nation, eight equestrian units, six floats, 14 giant cartoon character balloons, and 52 novelty acts and cars, including the "Back to the Future" DeLorean, and the Batmobile from 1966. Actor Joe Mantegna was the Grand Marshall.

Jeanette Loff and Santa Claus - 1928

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