In the Holiday Spirit
Posted on 16. Dec, 2011 in Real Estate News, Woodland Community
The 47th Annual Woodland Holiday Parade hit the streets on Saturday, Dec. 10, with a vibrant parade snaking down Main Street and an excited crowd cheering them on. The weather was everything you could ask for, a crisp day with lots of sunshine; encouraging the crowd estimated at 30,000 to brave the cool temperatures to enjoy the event. With more than 160 entries into the parade, including the agents of the Woodland Office of Coldwell Banker Doug Arnold Real Estate (CB DARE), the parade definitely got Woodland into the holiday spirit. Along with the holidays, CB DARE has something else to celebrate – the parade event is the company’s kick-off to celebrating CB DARE’s 40-year anniversary in 2012.
Bands and local businesses, performance troupes and non-profits made up the 160 parade entries. Highlights included the California Aggie Marching Band-Uh!, the Ben Ali Motor Escort, and the Folklorico Latino de Woodland danced to celebrate not only the holidays, but their 25th anniversary. Bands from all over the Sacramento area serenaded the crowd with holiday music, and local businesses marched and interacted with the people assembled, embracing the community spirit.
The event was organized by the Woodland Chamber of Commerce with Chairman Fred Bailard leading the parade committee for the 38th year in a row. The parade was hosted by Candice Burgess. Peter Kahn and Jim Hilliard, who contributed commentary from Heritage Plaza. In addition, the 2011 Woodland Chamber President Tom Galeazzi and 2012 incoming President Kevin Vaziri were introduced to the crowd. The Grand Marshal of this year’s parade was Sarah Robinson of Premier West Bank.
For the first time, CB DARE agents from the Woodland office participated in the parade. Agents decorated the CB DARE electric vehicles (EVs) with antlers and silver reins, turning them into sleighs. CB DARE agent Blanca Garcia drove one of the EVs, and she said, “It was a great day – the weather couldn’t have been any better, and a lot of people were there, all ages and from all areas of the community. It was really exciting.” Along with the EVs, agents walked in the parade with their families, handing out fruit-flavored candy to the crowd. The children with CB DARE ranged from 3 to 16, and each had a stocking filled with fruit-flavored candy canes. CB DARE Realtor Teresa Flynn, who helped organize the event, said, “We started with 1,200 pieces of candy and easily could have handed out three times that amount.” CB DARE agent Don Tinsley, who was part of that group, said, “We had a lot of fun.”
The event is a long-standing community tradition. For example, Don has been attending the parade as a spectator for years. He said, “The parade is great every year, and it’s wonderful to see the community out and celebrating the season.” Blanca pointed out that it was great to see people of all ages having fun, saying, “It was a good chance to see people I haven’t seen in awhile.” Teresa added, “The parade is a positive event that everyone loves and looks forward to watching; it’s a real feel-good moment for Woodland!”
The Woodland Holiday parade is billed as one of the top parades in Northern California. The Woodland Chamber of Commerce has been putting the parade together for more than 40 years, and the agents who participated in the parade from the Woodland office were proud to be part of this long-standing Woodland tradition. Teresa said, “As member of the Woodland Chamber of Commerce, we should participate in their events and promote our business, especially when we have something like our 40-year anniversary to celebrate. It places a ‘face’ on our company name.” Another tidbit of good news – parade participation was up this year with 160 entries, compared to last year’s 129. The Woodland community is reading this as a positive sign for the economy, making it good news all around.
But more than that, the parade gave the Woodland agents an opportunity to interface with the community. Blanca says, “The parade gave us the chance to show people that we aren’t only around when a house needs to be bought or sold. It gave us the chance to join in a well-loved community event; we got to put back in by participating and being a part of the parade.” Teresa echoes the sentiment by saying, “The real estate business is a people business and when a homeowner, either buying or selling, can relate to you on a personal level it’s a win-win. We are a family oriented company, and that’s what we want the public to see.”
At the end of the day, when the EVs were plugged back in for the night (antlers still on, of course) everyone agreed that the parade and the day had been a lot of fun. Blanca summed it up by saying, “I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true. The day was perfect. Just perfect!”
To reach the CB DARE office in Woodland, contact 530-666-2135.
