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FROM LEFT: Father Time (Gerry Boucher) and New Year Baby (Russ Lindberg) wave during the New Year's Parade at Desert Trails RV Park in El Centro on Tuesday. (JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO / January 1, 2013) |
Friends and neighbors at Desert Trails RV Park in El Centro gathered outside their homes Tuesday to celebrate the New Year as they have been doing for three years, by watching the park’s New Year’s parade.
This year’s parade featured 10 groups including the Sunrunners Car Club of Imperial Valley, the El Centro Fire Department and the Desert Trails RV Park’s New Year’s float, complete with residents playing the roles of Father Time and Baby New Year.
“We come here every year for the New Year’s parade. It’s kind of a tradition and something new,” Sunrunners President Michael Taylor said.
“There are just a lot of people here that are from an older generation and they appreciate the classic cars and they get a little enjoyment out of seeing us here so it’s fun,” Taylor said.
Spearheaded by Jack Kirby of the Desert Trails activities department, the parade is a delight for the more than 800 regular and temporary residents of Desert Trails RV Park, he said.
“Everyone is away from home and they miss the holidays with their families so we thought three years ago that we’d put a parade together and we have ever since,” Kirby said.
Having dealt with last-minute group cancelations, Kirby was still hopeful for the parade’s success.
Many park residents brought out their lawn chairs and placed them on the street, while others looked on from the golf course to glimpse their friends and neighbors helping celebrate the new year.
The parade has even become a New Year’s Day tradition for some park residents.
“I see it every year and it’s fun. The people in the parade have fun and we have our own fun watching them,” resident Tom Doyle said.
Staff Writer Celeste Alvarez can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at calvarez@ivpressonline.com
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