LA JOLLA, Calif. (KGTV) — Between a dip in donations and rising inflation, the cost to throw La Jolla's annual Christmas parade and holiday event is more expensive than ever in its 67-year history.
Parade organizers said they need the community's help.
The event is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, and this year's theme is called, "Christmas in the Sand."
It draws up to 20,000 people in attendance and parade-day costs alone are up to $55,000.
Ann Kerr Bache, La Jolla's parade organizer, broke down the expenses.
"Fencing, porta potties, dumpsters, signage, police is about $45,000 to $50,000," Kerr said. "We still need to raise the $60,000."
Up until recently, parade organizers were thinking they were going to have to cancel the event.
However, an angel donation saved the parade, allowing the show to go on.
Kerr said Sheila and Larry Combs, owners of Bowers Jewelers, got in touch with philanthropist Dianne Bashor about the parade's dire need for donations. Bashor made a $25,000 dollar donation, and Kerr said it will cover the deposits to keep the parade rolling.
Overall, including a year's worth of planning, Kerr said it will take $100,000 dollars to throw the event. I'ts a new high since the event's inception 65 years ago.
"When I first started doing this, it cost $12,000," Kerr said.
Kerr is not the only one who has fond memories of the decades-long parade.
Nancy Warwick, who's had a storefront in La Jolla since the 1930s, has been an active participant in the parade.
"I was a grand marshal actually two years ago and then when I was younger, I remember riding in my dad's Sunbeam with a girlfriend in the car," Warwick said. "I can't imagine us not having a parade."
Warwick also made a donation to the parade and said she's always believed it's given the La Jolla community an identity. Warwick said the parade is well organized and celebrates every culture's holiday tradition, from Christmas to Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and more.
Kerr said while rising costs are out of the parade's control, keeping the Christmas tradition alive is still in her control. Kerr said the community always finds a way to make the parade happen.
Kerr said they will accept donations even after the parade is over, because the bills will still be coming after parade-day.
To make a donation, head to the parade's website.
