Sunset Beach No Parade crowd gathers in front of Sea, Sand
and Jamie on North Pacific in Sunset Beach, California. Photo shows
the small group ready to celebrate the holiday in NO- way.
Don't worry about big crowds
for the Sunset Beach NO Parade. In most years you won't find them.
There are few advertisements (if any), and very little preparation,
except for the date. Shown in the picture above is the group
that gathered after sunset for the annual tradition, a
tongue-in-cheek celebration of the contrast between the
Huntington Harbour Christmas Boat Parade and
Cruise of Lights across the channel back behind Sunset Island.
You know it must be Christmas
in Sunset Beach when you wander down to the Pacific Ocean water line
and see cement
yard pelicans wrapped in gold garland. At night, you can drive
along Pacific Street north and south to enjoy the cottage and castle
decorations and lights that offer a unique alternative to the
Huntington Beach uniformity.
The crowd above had come early
to contribute to the party and celebrate the season with a
fund-raiser for the volunteer Sunset Beach Fire Department. Jungle
Juice, the Band, a regular at Perqs bar in Huntington Beach, rocked
to the tunes of Led Zeppelin.
And as the crowd shuffled and
talked, smiled and rocked, it was almost time for the NO Parade to
begin. A flyer had announced a 6 p.m. start. The parade began around
6:25 p.m. If the crowd looks sparse, this is about how big the
walking, wheelchair, bike and wagon-pulling attendance in the
mile-long stroll is. Vehicles in the event numbered approx. 10 -15.
Some dropped out along the way so it was tough measuring the exact
numbers.
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