Good morning!

We had our 2nd planning meeting for the 6th annual Rio Linda Elverta Christmas Light parade this last Monday. If you missed it, don’t worry, I’ve got all the information you need right here.

If you are participating in the parade, if you are volunteering, if you live in the area, if you are planning to watch the parade, you need to read this information.

The Basics

The 6th Annual Rio Linda Elverta Christmas Light Parade will be held on Saturday, December 11th, beginning at 6pm. We expect the event to end around 8:30-9:00pm.

The route is the same as always: From Westside Elementary School on West 2nd street, the route will travel north on West 2nd to M Street, where it will turn east and will continue to the MarVal Plaza parking lot.

As always, this is a RAIN or SHINE event! We have been blessed in previous years, but if rain happens, be prepared.

AS WITH PREVIOUS YEARS, ROADS WILL BE CLOSED BETWEEN 3PM-4PM. There is a lot of prep that takes place, there are people setting up early for the best vantage points, there is equipment in the streets, as people arrive there are children and families walking the streets. The disruption to traffic takes place once per year, but it is an absolute necessity. The Sacramento County DOT permit will reflect this time span.

DOT will require 10-day notice of the traffic disruption to homes and businesses along the parade route; those notices will begin to be distributed on November 27th.

As of today, there are about 32 entries, plus standard entries that don’t show up in the numbers, such as Sue Frost, Metro Fire, Twin Rivers PD, Sac Sheriff, etc.

Registration to be a part of the event is here: https://www.riolindamessenger.com/2021-rio-linda-elverta-christmas-light-parade-participant-registration/

We are asking for a $20.88 entry fee/donation to help fund the event (88 cents covers the Paypal cut). As you know, this is a grassroots event, funded by donations from local businesses and staffed entirely by volunteers. Permits, licenses, traffic control, audio equipment… all of it is funded by donations.

While not mandatory, in the spirit of the season we will also be accepting new, unwrapped toys at the check-in location for the Rio Linda Lions Club “Ruby’s Baskets” program to distribute to unfortunate children this holiday season.

THE DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION IS MONDAY, DECEMBER 6TH. NO EXCEPTIONS!

A couple of often-discussed rules for our entrants:

• There will be NO throwing of anything of any kind. NONE. If you want to have someone walk along with your parade unit and HAND candy or treats to parade goers, that is encouraged. Throwing candy is SO DANGEROUS at nighttime with so many children lining the parade route. Please, don’t throw anything.
• If you are handing out flyers or anything with packaging, we expect your group to be responsible for the cleanup of the detritus during/after the parade. We all want to have fun, but this is a community event and we need to keep our community beautiful.

Our MANDATORY participants’ meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 8th at 6pm. This will happen at the Grange Hall, 1315 G Street in Rio Linda.

Community Christmas Tree

Our community Christmas tree will be chosen and transported on Friday, November 26th.

It will be stood-up on Saturday the 27th, and decorating will take place on the 29th or 30th.

There will be a lighting ceremony at Troy Park before the parade arrives at that location, probably right around 6pm.

Decorating the light poles along M Street with sponsored Holiday swag and ribbons will take place Saturday, November 27th. These swag decorations will be similar to past years, mounted on the light posts along the M Street parade route and sponsored by local businesses and organizations. The cost to sponsor is $100.

To sponsor a pole, or to help with the tree, contact Tabitha Worth at RLEChristmasParade1@gmail.com or at 916-910-4900.

Grand Marshal

He was scheduled to be our Grand Marshal in 2019, but had to fly back to Hollywood to tape a show. In 2020, COVID19 screwed us all out of a good parade. But in 2021, Rio Linda’s own Shane Q who appeared on NBC’s “The Voice” in 2019 will be this year’s parade Grand Marshal.

The next planning meeting will be held on November 30th, 5pm at the Rio Linda Grange hall on G Street.

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