September 21, 2020
The first Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade began its run in 1923 and has been occurring for almost 100 years!
We were joined at our September 21st meeting by Kathy Couture, of the Anaheim Historical Society and Anaheim Fall Festival, who discussed this event and its current application in our COVID world.
The Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade were an Anaheim staple for decades until community interest instigating the event began to wane in the 1980s. At that time, city manager Frank Fieldhouse founded the non-profit Anaheim Fall Festival in 2003-2004. Being a good fundraiser, Frank continued with the events, hiring outside event planners and keeping them going strong.
In 2012, the Anaheim Historical Society got involved and began getting the community excited again by recreating parade floats from the past photographs including the famous “Flying Sasser” float created by kids in 1953 during the “Out of This World” theme. AHS asked to remain involved the following year by recreating floats including “Andy Anaheim”, the official mascot of the city of Anaheim.
In other efforts to draw from the past, many of the recreated floats are drawn by tractors as they were used to pull floats in the days of yore. By incorporating community involvement, and not being afraid of being silly, this event is becoming a community event again. The event is a family friendly event, not incorporating the blood and gore of more serious Halloween-o-philes.
Volunteers are needed! All levels of proficiency… from hard-core carpenters to youngest kid who can hold a paint brush, are invited to join in.
This crazy year of 2020 has hit everyone hard… however the event will go on! The parade is a drive-by! Being parked on Center Street Promenade, guests are invited to drive by the parade in their cars as opposed to the other way round. Due to COVID19 CDC guidelines, no pedestrians will be allowed to walk through.
Being a true community event, Keith Olden, the chairman of the parade board, follows the parade and sweeps up the horse droppings…. It’s his thing.
