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Parade is the heart of Founder's Day
Without the parade there's absolutely no reason for visitors to come to Willow Glen
By Deborah Taylor-Hollis
I was a tiny bit shocked to read in The Resident about our Founder's Day Parade being "reviewed" and possibly moved to another date by the WGBPA. I was more than shocked--flabbergasted was more the word. And angry. After all, how dare they? What the heck is Founder's Day (or any other holiday of note) without a parade? Ah ... it's an art and wine festival, a day for gathering people together--and letting them spend their money. And this is, after all, all about money.
Money--and how to make it--is what leads the WGBPA. This is not necessarily a bad thing. No one can have a business and not want to make money. But this is about making more money, and trying to do it as subtly as possible while ignoring the very reason for the festival's existence.
This also is about subterfuge. This original idea was hatched--and voted on by the WGBPA--way back in March to move booths out from the gutters and into the middle of the street, back to back. So, whatever we have here has been in the works for five months now. Merchants who pay for this festival didn't like their businesses being fronted by booths on the street. They don't like people walking in the center of the street and missing their stores--especially when they are paying for it. And I can't blame them. No one wants to bankroll their own bankruptcy.
But the heart of Founders Day is our parade--a free parade for all to see, where our children walk proud and our vehicles drive slow. It is the heart of Founder's Day. Without the parade, all there is is food and shopping. There's no other reason to come out on the streets or get all excited.
Pushing the parade to Halloween has several other drawbacks no one has considered. Halloween is usually a rainy time--and a parade in the cold, rainy, windy days of autumn will draw about zero attendees. It's also hard to dress up for your VFW group, Girl Scout troop or elementary school when you also have to wear your Halloween costume. Heck, it's like having a Halloween parade (which WG Elementary does) at Christmas time.
Speaking of WG Elementary, just how will moving the parade affect them? Well, it's their first big fundraiser, when all the parents buy school T-shirts to wear in the parade--and who needs to buy a T-shirt for a rainy parade in Halloween costumes? I don't think the town burghers want to reimburse the elementary school $3,000 or $4,000 in T-shirt sales--do they?
Then, we have the bottom line--aren't they just killing the golden goose? Why does most of the Valley flock to little Willow Glen for one lousy Saturday afternoon every year? They sure don't come for Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Noah's Bagels, Peet's Coffee, Manhattan Bagels, Blockbuster Video, Burger King, Round Table Pizza, Kragen Auto Supply or any of the other chain stores that are on every street corner in this valley and available closer to their own homes. They aren't rushing here because we have a few booths on the street with some craftspeople. No--all those wonderful, money-spending strangers that clog our streets, block our driveways, sit on our curbs, drink our drinks and buy your goods are here because WE ARE A CUTE SMALL TOWN WITH A CUTE SMALL-TOWN PARADE FULL OF CUTE SMALL-TOWN CHILDREN, VETERANS, SCOUTS, ANTIQUE CARS, DOGS, CLOWNS, TIGERS AND STUPID NICE FUNNY PEOPLE. We are the Founder's Day celebration.
I resent a decision made in March being held back until August when it concerns a September event. But considering how we have changed our small town, allowing chain store after chain store into our midst, embracing them and trusting them, it does not surprise me at all to find out that the WGBPA is changing direction. Heaven forbid that we have booths in the street near the curbs--even though people can get to those stores just like always, even though every city event, from Pleasanton Antiques to Palo Alto Art and Wine, does it that way.
The bottom line here is that if the parade is moved, they might as well kill it. And they can count on hurting the elementary school. And they can count on a few fewer bodies this year--mine included. And a lot fewer next year, when all those rubes with their money don't show up because there wasn't any parade this year.
Readers can contact Deborah Taylor-Hollis at DTHollis@metronews.com.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
