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Amid the honking cars, waves from parade participants and José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” the feeling along Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta was that the neighborhood’s first holiday parade was a resounding success.
The city rang in the holiday season with its inaugural Old Town Goleta Christmas Parade on Saturday evening, with a procession that showcased seemingly every aspect of Goleta civic life.
Kicking off at Orange Avenue and proceeding to the Goleta Valley Community Center, the parade featured all sorts of local businesses, schools, historical organizations, nonprofits and clubs.
The inaugural theme was “Santa Claus Is Coming to Old Town,” and the jolly man himself joined Goletans at the community center for a Christmas tree lighting.
“I haven’t been to a parade in a while, and it’s time to get in the Christmas spirit,” said Elise Malacara, who lives in the unincorporated area between Goleta and Santa Barbara.
Residents lined the entire half-mile route to check out restaurants like Domingo’s Café, youth groups like the United Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara County, schools that included Goleta Valley Junior High School and businesses like Bicycle Bob’s.
Tracy Ryan, who works for Old Town’s Giffin Rental, was part of the construction equipment company’s procession down Hollister before joining the spectators.
“It was fun, it was very exciting,” she said. “Everyone turned out — it was a very good crowd.”
Presented by the Goleta Valley Community Center and the Goleta Old Town Community Association, the parade was the latest in a long line of December parades sparking the holiday spirit in residents throughout Santa Barbara County.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.