Victorville Christmas parade, tree lighting brings holiday joy
Riding a vintage fire truck, a smiling Santa Claus waved to excited children and adults during the 75th Annual Victorville Christmas Parade.
The caravan of holiday cheer, from La Paz Drive to Forrest Avenue, included marching bands, vintage cars, dancers, horses, cheer squads, Victorville City Council members, and more.
Hosted by The Kiwanis Club of Victorville, the grand marshal of the diamond jubilee parade was former city planning commissioner Larry Huber, who rode atop the bright yellow Town’s End horse wagon.
The Saturday morning parade included an army of young performers from the Talent Planet studio wearing a holiday red, green, and white as they danced along the nearly 1.5-mile parade route.
The Talent Planet float included over a dozen child performers who acted shocked as the Grinch danced with mischief among the group.
Young performers from A Dancers Pointe Performing Arts Center wore purple and reindeer antlers as they rode on a trailer that included a Christmas tree.
Other Dancers Pointe performers dressed as characters from the theatrical, staged ballet The Nutcracker, which they will present on Dec. 18 and 19 at the Barstow Community College Performing Arts Center.
Several school marching bands drew applause as they played holiday music. Some participating schools included Granite Hills High, Victor Valley High, Mesa Linda Middle, and Vanguard and University preparatory.
Cadets from the Academy for Academic Excellence Space Force Junior ROTC program marched down as they were followed by the school’s Marching Knights’ band, whose members wore ugly Christmas sweaters.
Other favorites were the Royal Heat Drill Team and Drum Squad, Del Rey Spirit Squad, and cheer teams from Victor Valley High, Mesa Linda Middle, Puesta del Sol Elementary, and West Palms Conservatory.
The Apple Valley Sheriff’s Posse participated in the parade, along with Victor Valley Search and Rescue and the Bear Valley Posse.
Festival of Lights & Tree Lighting
As the sun set, hundreds gathered at Victorville City Hall for the annual Festival of Lights & Tree Lighting, which included a night of carriage rides, holiday crafts, food, kids’ activities, free hot cocoa, and cookies.
Mayor Debra Jones and Councilwoman Blanca Gomez were on hand to greet the crowd, who surrounded the 20-foot, multi-colored Christmas Tree that spewed artificial snow on adults and children.
After the tree lighting, children had the opportunity to meet with Santa Claus and to get a photo with St. Nick.
Apple Valley Fun Run & Tree Lighting
The Town of Apple Valley will host a 1K Santa Fun Run on Tuesday, with check-in at 3 p.m. at Civic Center Park at 14999 Dale Evans Parkway.
After the Santa Fun Run, the town will host its annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony from 5 to 7 p.m. at Civic Center Park. The event will include holiday entertainment, goodies, and photo opportunities with Santa Claus.
Adelanto Parade
The City of Adelanto’s 16th Annual Christmas Parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Dec. 10 at the corner of Seneca and Aster roads. The caravan will proceed east on Seneca Road and end at Bellflower Street and Desert Trails Preparatory Academy. For more information, call 760-246-2300 ext. 11124.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville Christmas parade, tree lighting brings holiday joy
