Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Santa still star for the parade

Even without his name on it, St. Nick will be the focus of 2005's St. Petersburg Lions Club Holiday Parade on Dec. 3.

By JON WILSON
Published November 13, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Santa Claus, as he has done here since the 1920s, will appear in a downtown parade in a few weeks - but the march won't be named in his honor.

This year's event, which steps off at 10 a.m. on Dec. 3, has been renamed the St. Petersburg Lions Club Holiday Parade. St. Nick still is the feature entry in the 78th annual celebration.

Floats, marching units, bands and parade-suitable entries still are welcome, said organizer Michelle Beauchesne.

Diversity is a theme. "We want different ethnic backgrounds," Beauchesne said.

Deadline to apply is Nov. 20. But even last-minute entries might be worked in, Beauchesne said. Anyone interested should call (727) 525-5950. A $5 donation to the Lions Club to help defray expenses is the only entry fee, Beauchesne said.

The name change, she said, came about in effort to be generic and avoid the possibility of offending any group.

"To be politically correct," she said.

"Nobody was in disagreement with us. The Lions backed us up," she said.

The Lions Club has been among the parade's major backers since the first event during the 1920s. Through the years, it often has been cited as being wildly popular.

On parade day in 1955, for example, the St. Petersburg Times published a banner headline at the top of the front page: "Santa Parade Rolls." The next day, the newspaper reported 50,000 attended, calling the turnout the largest such crowd in city history.

"They weren't even giving out beads and candy," Beauchesne said.

During the past few years, crowd estimates have been closer to the 10,000 mark.

As usual, the parade will move north along the Bayshore Drive waterfront, ending near the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, Beauchesne said.

This year, the parade's grand marshal is Raymond, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' mascot. The junior marshal is Louie the Lion, the Lions Club symbol.

Louie, said Beauchesne, is "a baby-kisser and a girl-hugger. He's an absolute flirt."

Besides the Lions Club, sponsors include WTOG-Ch. 44, Chick-fil-A, Autoway Ford, Allstar Limousine, All-Florida Fire Equipment, the city of St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg Times.

[Last modified November 13, 2005, 03:00:43]