Holiday parades in Goleta, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria have been canceled because of the Thomas Fire burning toward Santa Barbara County and bad air quality conditions impacting the entire region.
Some Carpinteria Valley areas are within mandatory and voluntary evacuation zones for the fire, which burned 132,000 acres as of Friday morning, and the city announced it was postponing its Holiday Spirit Parade set for Saturday.
It may be rescheduled for next weekend, depending on fire conditions, according to the city.
The Goleta Old Town Community Association held its first holiday parade last year, and Saturday’s event has been canceled, the organization said on its Facebook page Friday.
Goleta city spokeswoman Valerie Kushnerov said it had been canceled due to air quality and public safety concerns, and organizers noted that the permit was rescinded.
The parade will not be rescheduled, and parade entrants have an automatic entry into the 2018 event, organizers said.
Also in Goleta, the Holiday at the Ranch weekend event at Rancho La Patera & Stow House was postponed, and was expected to get a new date.
Santa Barbara canceled its Parade of Lights at the harbor and the Milpas Community Association canceled its annual holiday parade, both planned for Sunday night.
The Parade of Lights was canceled because of hazardous air quality conditions and respect for victims and responders to regional wildfires, Harbor Operations Manager Mick Kronman said Friday. The city will use the same proposed theme, Hollywood Holidays, for next year’s event, he said.
The Milpas Community Association parade is rescheduled to start at 5:30 p.m on Jan. 13, according to Bea Molina, Milpas Community Association president.
The new theme is the “Milpas Holiday New Years Parade,” Molina said.
“There’s too much smoke in the air to put our families and children’s health at risk,” Milpas organizers said on Facebook.
North County isn’t as smoky, and the Old Town Orcutt Christmas Parade is on, as of Friday.
Click here to check daily air quality levels on the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District website.
Masks are being distributed for free at multiple South Coast sites Friday, the Public Health Department said, including:
» Costco in the Camino Real Marketplace, at 7095 Market Pl Dr., in Goleta, from 10 a.m. until supplies run out
» Franklin Community Center, at 1136 East Montecito St., in Santa Barbara, from 10 a.m. until supplies run out
» Albertsons, at 1018 Casitas Pass Rd., in Carpinteria, from 10 a.m. until supplies run out
» Lower Village in Montecito, the 1400 block of East Valley Road, from 1 p.m. until supplies run out
“Due to limited supplies, no more than two masks are being given per person,” the Public Health Department said. “There are no exceptions to the number of masks that will be provided per person. It is important to note that these masks do not fit children properly.”
Direct Relief said it passed out 47,000 masks on Thursday and planned to distribute another 25,000 or so on Friday.
Santa Barbara County Medical Reserve Corps members have also been working at distribution centers and helping people fit their masks.
Noozhawk reporter Brooke Holland contributed to this story.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.