Having Some Good, Clean Fun

Hundreds of people lined Avalon Boulevard last weekend for the fifth annual Wilmington Christmas Parade. The day before, more than 100 people turned out to spruce up the parade route, painting over graffiti on store walls, sidewalks and trees and preparing a spotless route for the marchers. Sponsored by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, the parade featured floats of creches, little girls in Mexican costumes and horse troupes. The Banning High School Marching Band and the Long Beach Marching Band provided music as Girl Scouts, labor union members, the Rotary Club and antique cars paraded by. Billed as a Christmas parade, the event provided many with the opportunity to spread a variety of messages. Politicians hoping to be Wilmington’s next City Council representative rode in the parade, waving to people on the sidelines, and the California Assn. of Detaching Cities--which many in Wilmington dream of joining by seceding from Los Angeles--rode by with a sign for its cause.