NAFEC 25th anniversary Christmas parade a jazzed affair
Naval Air Facility El Centro — This year’s silver anniversary parade at the Naval Air Facility El Centro showed like a beacon on a winter sea as the theme — Holiday Parade of Light — was illuminated full of color thanks to the Holtville High School Viking Band of Pride, whose instruments wore garland like dozens of Christmas trees.
It is a small-town parade with a huge following and as ever it is great for NAF to celebrate Christmas with all its friends across Imperial Valley, remarked Kris Haugh, NAF public affairs officer. “This year we have added a live DJ, face-painting and sitting with Santa, so you can whisper in his ear what you really want for Christmas,” said Haugh.
This year with temperatures in the mid-50s and 12 mile per hour winds it really did feel like Christmas, noted Capt. William Doster, NAF base commander. “We love the public to come out and visit us for Christmas,” said Doster. “We have 25 floats, and a lot of effort goes into those, building and towing them out here, it gets everybody in the Christmas spirit.”
Taking top honors for best float was AOC Support Services (Commanding Officer’s Choice), while second place went to the NAF Public Works Department (Executive Officer’s Choice) and capturing third was Imperial County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division (Command Master Chief’s Choice).
Best high school band was the Holtville Viking Band of Pride and accepting the award was Drum Major Kaylen Soto. And best elementary school band was the McCabe Elementary School.
Yvonne Moreno, Vikings band director, noted band members worked really hard for the performance. “We’re glad to be here and hope everyone enjoys the performance,” she said. “We like this parade because of all the lights decorating the band instruments, and the students love the hot chocolates they get at the end of show.”
Soto helped get everybody in the Christmas spirit with a rollicking version of “Jingle Bell Jam.”
Said Soto, “We have a lot of fun. We love the lights.”
Although not winning a prize, the Sheriff’s Office float, Rudolph’s Christmas Party, was completed in 25 days and built by inmates from the Imperial County jail and supervised by Corporal J.L. Garcia. Sherrif Ray Loera and Undersheriff Mario Miramontes were at the vanguard of the float riding in a Sheriff’s Office patrol boat.
“We have mascots, Olaf and Rudolph,” said Garcia. “We take great pride in putting it together for the Imperial County kids. And we have kids dancing to some favorite pop versions of Christmas music.”
NAF’s Child and Youth Program, had a float from the Dr. Suess story “Horton Hears a Who!” It was appropriately called Whoville. Helping to build the float were Sophia Bodenhamer and Vincent Davidson. Sophia remarked they liked meeting with all the personnel on the base. As for Vincent, he said, “I just like the vibe, because I get to dress up like the Grinch.”