This
year I attended the East LA Xmas parade, the Highland Park Xmas parade,
and even contemplated going to the one in Echo Park but sadly my
schedule didn't comply. But still, too many Xmas parades is probably
not good for ones mental health, but that couldn't stop me from
checking out the one in my own neighborhood! And it turned out to be a
very nice one at
that, cleansing the palate of that wait-fest in HLP. Well,
according to me. Follow along and prove me wrong!
It was scheduled to start at 11am.
Amazingly, I only showed up around 30 minutes late, but the parade was
cooler than I was and didn't start til much after that. Oh
well, enough time to get me a bean and cheese burrito from Chapalita's,
breakfast of champions. And at only $2.50, it's also the breakfast of
cheapskates.
The local cheapo ants also seem to like
the fare at Chapalitas! But they told me they came out solely for the
parade. Yeah, sure you did. Never trust an ant.
One breakfast later and having found a new
spot, the parade is finally at Griffin & Broadway.
Looks like the ranks of the LHS ROTC have increased. Too bad.
There was a slight break in the parade, so people started craning to
see what was coming next. The red flag woman were complaining to the
blue flag kids to "sit down" so they could get a better view. The
youngsters won out with some snappy retorts about "relaxing" and
laughed it off, while the older woman seemed quite perturbed by the
insolence. Go Kids!
I heard a few people say "quien es?" so I guess they should have sprung
for the 2 dollar posterboard.
The LHS drill team.
Here's a short clip of the Tigers in action.
The tiger mascot takes a few seconds for a fan snapshot. That's nice,
as most tigers nowadays just maul you straight away.
As I was taking that last pic, this guy in the blue shirt was thinking
about my soul...
..since he gave me this familiar flier by the Cholo church. Pass.
Some crazy gymnasts and a guy hand walking.
The kid might not land his jumps, but he sure does give it his all!
How purty, the folklorico girls look colorful!
A short clip of the girls from the first picture.
Who in the world is Elena Popp?
Ah, I see now. She's my future lawyer.
Norky seemed tired as he mostly remained seated. Peneagles
are lazy
that way.
But he did manage to move the barriga around a lil' bit.
Kids in a box.
Isn't that a halloween character?
The tiniest drill team ever. Or at least at this parade.
Some
taggers are getting regular work, good for them. But they should learn
to plan their space before they commit paint to canvas, everyone learns
that in Graffiti 101.
Ha Ha! "Richard Riordan" and the word "Dance" in the same sentence. Ha
Ha! Ho ho. He he. Yeah right!!!
Ranflas for Dino's. A friendly face waves hello.
Xmas Go-Cart Photo Op.
First the Tigers, now de Leon. Groan. Sorry bout that.
This
guy who happened to be our parade spot neighbor, had a wise crack for
just about everything and everyone. Plus he seemed to know almost
everyone on the route.
See, there he goes again!
The
picture looks cool, but just imagine you are sitting on the sidewalk
right next to it and you think it's going to flip over. Yikes!
Miss Taiwan and some LAUSD officials on a fire truck.
That's the cuddliest gator I've ever seen.
This kid made sure to hold the sign so I can take a picture of it,
thanks!
Members
of the Anahuak YSA do some impromptu shots on goal. The portero was
actually diving to catch the balls, on the asphalt. Crazy.
Burbank MS kids really know how to kick it up a notch.
Nothing warms the heart like the sight of a crusader with his sword
drawn.
The skater girls seemed ready to jump on their boards to make a quick
getaway.
More asphalt defying stunts.
That's one clean truck.
The parade had been running smoothly until this point when it ground to
a halt. Seems the Le Blanc "Sexy Santas" were doing a long dance and
wouldn't get moving, even at the insistence of the organizers. Adults:
when will they ever learn?
Licha's Flower Shop and a nice original sign.
The crowd briefly chants "Licha, Licha."
I didn't catch the name of this drill team but I really liked how they
were gliding throught the moves, almost quiet even. Check out this
clip...
See what I mean? Nice work ladies!
The Lincoln Park Recreation Center. My heckler neighbor shouted
"couldn't you get a cleaner bus?" Ha, ha. But that's not graffiti,
they're holiday messages on the windows.
The Cotton Candy Man. Hey, he has green! My favorite.
Oh, oh. I must have done something wrong as these guys are staring me
down. Sorry lil' vatos, I'll sit down now.
Art Storm cruising down N. Broadway. Is that homie the clown in the
painting?
The Cotton Candy Lady. Hey, she has green flavor too! I wonder if she's
met the Cotton Candy Man?
THIS IS SHERIDAN! They whizzed by but there's no way I can forget who
they are..
They were going full steam from when I first noticed them until they
disappeared. That's some energy.
No, that's not Snie Urs, it's Sunrise! My slow friends couldn't figure
that out, bunch of tarados.
The Laundry Land entered a unique and very realistic float.
Oh, wait, that's just some lady crossing the street. I thought all work
was supposed to stop during parades? When I get elected President, that
will be my first decree. The second one will be to declare that,
obviously, Democracy doesn't work, so I'm gonna scrap the whole lot of
it. And that's a promise I can keep!
The Highland Park Thursday Evening Gentlemen's Society Circuit Bending
Marching Band & Ladies Auxiliary. AKA The Nerd Brigade.
They ain't no Kraftwerk, that's for sure.
Alright, Euclid! It's one of my favorite streets in Boyle Heights.
The Drill Team does their thing.
WTF?!? Look, if you and your buddies plan on riding down the major
Lincoln Heights street dressed in funny suits, with cannons
and a Confederate flag, the least you could do is explain yourselves.
Coming up next: take your picture with Santa, sponsored by the Migra.
The Spartans all had lollipops. And yes, she played the clarinet with
the candy in her mouth!
And finally, the man of the hour: Santa Claus! He's the one in back, by
the way.
Oh wait, looks like it's not over yet. Something tells me this group of
Danza Azteca showed up late and was stuck at the end of the parade, no
doubt causing the parade to start late. I bet that's an accurate
assumption. Anyone know?
Some random pics. I bet everyone in LH recognizes this guy, currently
the security guard at that liquor store by Hanstad's. He's everywhere.
I don't know who she is, but I'm making sure not to get in her way!
Remember back in the day when people used to ride their bikes just for
fun, and not to start a whole lifestyle around it? Ah, the good old
days.
It's all over now, everyone is heading out.
Even the elote/raspado/something else guy is moving on to the next hot
spot. Most people stick to one item, he diversified and added a few
other options, no doubt increasing the revenue flow while maintaining
the labor costs at the same minimal range. You greedy Capitalist!
And here's a pic of the entertaining heckler packing up to heckle a
parade somewhere else in the near future. All Power to the Jokesters!
The traffic cops started letting cars through in both directions, even
as the organizers booth was still breaking down, with cars whizzing by.
Give them a few minutes already!
