The annual Downtown Holiday Parade, an event sponsored by the Gilroy Downtown Business Association, will likely see swarms of attendees descend upon downtown Gilroy on Saturday afternoon.
Last year, more than 3,500 locals and visitors flocked to the downtown area, according to DBA Coordinator Melanie Corona, and 35 floats rolled down Monterey Street.
Events will begin at approximately 3 p.m., including musical performances, a dog dress-up contest and an event featuring local nonprofits and businesses, with the main parade scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
“We’re at about 25 (float) participants right now and I fully expect that to grow within the next few days,” Corona said Tuesday. “We try to get the word out early, do a good job advertising for it and touch base with people who participated last year. I personally have three school-age children, so we really reached out to the community groups they are involved with to try to bolster the parade participants.”
This year’s grand marshal in the parade is a 6-year-old kindergarten student at Gilroy Prep School named Jennifer Lynn Krantz, who was diagnosed in October with an inoperable tumor on her brain stem. She’ll be riding on a float with Santa Claus – coming all the way from the North Pole – and helping the jolly red giant in lighting Gilroy’s holiday tree.
“Her family is trying to squeeze in a lifetime of memories in a really short period of time,” Corona said, adding that Krantz has three younger siblings and comes from a family with deep roots across South County. “For me, having a daughter who is the same age as she is, and just knowing one day their life was as ideal as it can be and the next day wake up and everything has changed, I can’t even imagine.”
During the tree lighting ceremony, event organizers will also pay tribute to Mike Gilroy, descendant of the city’s founding father and a former mayor who passed away on Nov. 13 in his Texas home at the age of 77.
After he lands his sled, Santa and his little helpers will light the tree at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Corona said. The portly Kris Kringle will then head to a children’s consignment store in downtown Gilroy, Mango Street Kids, for a special event just for kids.
“He will sit on his magic Santa throne there (located at 7579 Monterey St.) and listen to the wishes of all the good little boys and girls – even the naughty ones,” Corona said. “That’s always really cute and fun.”
The Mounted Unit of the Gilroy Police Department will be providing security and participating in the parade itself, alongside a battalion truck and an additional vehicle from the Gilroy Fire Department.
Plenty of musicians – youngsters and professionals – are booked to perform on the main stage Saturday at the intersection of Monterey and Fifth streets, too.
A local dance group, Studio Three Dance, choirs from Gilroy’s elementary schools, the Brownell Middle School choir and the Suzuki Violin Studio of Gilroy will all perform to an audience of thousands, Corona said.
“It’s a sampling of some really great extracurricular work that’s being done within our community,” she added.
Austin Corini, a Gilroy teen and now-professional singer who made the top-24 of the television show “X Factor,” will give the headlining performance on the main stage sometime between 3 and 5 p.m.
At roughly 2:45 p.m. – Corona said all times are approximate because it’s a massive event with lots of moving pieces – the DBA will be hosting a doggie dress-up contest. Three local business owners, including local groomers and a veterinarian from Gilroy’s Veterinary Hospital, comprise the judging panel for the contest.
The panel will award first, second and third place prizes.
“We have lots of people who are supportive and excited about the whole thing,” Corona said. “It makes my heart so happy when everything just comes together. It’s neat to see our community come together and start the holiday season (for an) opportunity of people from all walks of life and all demographics to come and celebrate in our downtown.”
“It’s fun work and it closes the year off for the DBA on a really high note,” she added.
Float and parade participant applications will be accepted until Dec. 6, according to the DBA, and registration costs $25. You can find a link to the applications and parade rules and regulations by clicking here.
