Parade Seeks Entries & Donations

Celebrating its 38th year, the Palisades Americanism Parade Association (PAPA) is once again requesting community support as it organizes the town’s traditional Fourth of July parade. Entry forms are now available for individuals, businesses, clubs, youth groups, organizations, churches and synagogues who wish to enter the parade on Monday, July 4. The festivities will begin at 2 p.m. at the corner of Bowdoin and Via de la Paz, then follow a one-mile course up to Sunset, east to Drummond, and back along Toyopa to Alma Real. This year’s theme is ‘Remembering America’s Heritage,’ and the PAPA president is Bobbie Farberow, proprietor of Mort’s Deli on Swarthmore and a past Citizen of the Year with her late husband, Mort. Her organizing committee meets monthly in the Oak Room, and new members are encouraged to join. ‘We need volunteers to step up and get involved,’ said Farberow, who can be contacted at 454-5511. Parade applications can be picked up at the Chamber of Commerce office, 15330 Antioch, Mort’s Deli, 1035 Swarthmore, or the Palisades Letter Shop, 865 Via de la Paz, and must be returned by May 27. Parade orders and staging information will be sent to accepted entries 10 days prior to the parade. As per tradition, there’s no entry fee for non-commercial, non-profit organizations, and they can apply for reimbursement of up to $500 in float expenses (excluding vehicle rental) from PAPA, the organizing committee. Palisades architect Rich Wilken has once again agreed to provide free design ideas and construction tips. PAPA is a volunteer organization that must raise more than $60,000 a year to pay for all the expenses involved in producing the parade, one of the few surviving Fourth of July parades in Los Angeles County. ‘We rely on the generosity of local businesses and Palisades residents in order to present a parade we can all enjoy and be proud of,’ Farberow said. Parade costs include fees for participating bands and parade animals; rental of grandstands, traffic barricades and toilets; printing and mailing of solicitation letters; insurance; private security; sound systems; the pre-parade VIP luncheon; trophies; the Carey Peck skydiving team; and Pageantry Productions, professional parade organizers from Lakewood. Tax-deductible donations of any amount can be sent to: PAPA, P.O. Box 1776, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.