GV’s favorite parade begins on Saturday

Floats are being finished and marching bands are tuning up for the 44th Annual Country Fair White Elephant Parade scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25, kicking off at 10 a.m. right here in Green Valley.

This year’s parade theme is “Serving the Community,” which fits in well with what the White Elephant is all about, Parade Chairman Jim Fitzsimmons says.

In addition, this year marks the 25th year of service to the community by the local Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers group, known as S.A.V.

The parade’s grand marshals for 2008 are S.A.V. volunteers John Dart and Rita Lawrence, who both have given more than 26,000 service hours to S.A.V.

With more than 110 parade entries, and maybe some additional latecomers before the event, the parade line-up is bound to feature something for every viewer young and old.

Parade judges will be Green Valley Fire District Chief Simon Davis, Karen Rans of Green Valley Recreation, and Jim Green, president of the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce and general manager of the Inn at San Ignacio.

Parade emcees are Joey Lessa of the local KGVY radio station, and Regina Ford of the Green Valley News and Sun.

Look for the grand marshals to be riding in cars from the Old Pueblo Miata Club.

Attendees will be treated to some popular parade favorites like the Santa Cruz Valley Car Nuts and those wonderful collectible classic automobiles, the Sahuarita High School Band, the Continental School Parent Teacher Club float, the Pima County Sheriff’s mounted posse and many more. The local Elks Lodge, Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce, Masonic Lodge, Shriners and St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic, plus local churches and businesses, will also be among the groups with parade floats.

The starting point is south of the Santa Rita Care Center on La Canada Drive at Esperanza Blvd.

The parade, scheduled to last until noon, will travel south on La Canada, past the judges’ stand near the Best Western Green Valley to Paseo del Prado near the Continental Shopping Plaza.

The traditionally heavily attended parade will feature the impressive number of entries all vying to capture the attention of the three-judge panel and win the coveted ceramic White Elephant trophies in one of the eight categories.

The categories this year are Special Interest Organizations, Marching Bands, Service and Charitable Organizations, Commercial, Youth Groups, Equestrian, Church and Social, and Marching Units.

The trophies are presented to the entries deemed best in the parade by the panel of judges.

Throughout the festivities at the Green Valley Village and Continental Shopping Plaza, you’ll find bargain sidewalk sales, dozens of booths of interest, including arts and crafts, sidewalk sales, entertainment and plenty of food.

Closing of the northbound lanes on La Canada from Continental Road to Camino Casa Verde will be at 8:30 a.m. Staging of entries starts at 9 a.m., and the parade itself gets under way at 10 a.m. and will last until about noon, when the last entry turns off La Canada onto Paseo del Parado, near the West Center, according to Fitzsimmons.

The southbound lanes of La Canada will remain open to traffic during the parade.

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740