Guest column: Greetings from the 2011 Parade Chairman

“Celebrity” Michael Brief leads his band in the 2009 Seal Beach Christmas Holiday Parade.

A few weeks back I received an e-mail from a new resident of Seal Beach inquiring about the Seal Beach Christmas Parade.

She asked if there would be any celebrities in the parade and my response was “Absolutely yes.”

I told her that there were more than 2,000 celebrities in the parade in the form of Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, kids on trikes, babies in strollers, singers, dancers, musicians and more.

The celebrities have always been the many children who participate in the parade.The 33rd annual Seal Beach Christmas Holiday Parade promises to be the best and most festive ever.

With more than 3,200 participants and 110 entries, Main Street will be alive with the sights and sounds of the holiday season.

Nearly 30 years ago, I watched my first Seal Beach parade as it went both ways up and down Main Street with about 35 entries.

A few years later, I joined the Lions Club and began my career as a “parade volunteer” and have been working the event ever since.

This year’s parade has exciting improvements that will make it faster, brighter and louder.  Our entries this year will be entertaining you from the moment they turn onto Main Street until they reach Pascific Coast Highway. This continuous motion event will also feature more lighting along Main Street and four announcers along the route.

Our Seal Beach Christmas Holiday Parade is a great hometown event that brings the community together year after year for an evening of warm holiday spirit.  Floats, cars, jeeps, wagons, strollers, bikes, boats, bands, horses and other animals will all be part of the parade again this year.

It always begins by honoring the flag of our country and ends with the arrival of Santa Claus.

I look forward to seeing our community lining Main Street on Friday, Dec. 2 to watch the Seal Beach Christmas Holiday Parade.  It will certainly be a great evening for all ages.

See you at the Parade!

Scott Newton,

Parade Chairman