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PALOMINAS — A week after Sierra Vista hosted its own holiday parade, the Palominas community came together for its version, a parade that is decidedly less structured.
“It’s so cool. You get up in the morning, the day of the parade, and you come down here with whatever you want, and you get to be in the parade. That’s it,” said Leo Salwei.
Salwei has marched in every one of the annual Palominas Unorganized Christmas Parade, which celebrated its 13th anniversary Saturday with a stroll down Palominas Road.
In previous years, Salwei has ridden horses in the parade. This year, he dressed up his two dogs, Zimba and Jetta, with sleigh bells and walked with his family.
  
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“It’s become a tradition with us and the grandkids to come and be in it,” he said.
Though there were few traditional floats seen in other parades, there was no shortage of happy participants and spectators.
George Breckel, another local who has been a part of the parade more than once, drove his yellow Squire SS100 in the parade.
Like other participants, Breckel said the unorganized nature is what makes the parade special.
“It’s just a fun, old-fashioned, hometown parade,” he said.
One notable group of people hoisted empty packages of Glad plastic wrap on planks of wood and hung boxes of laundry detergent out of their cars as they passed. On the side of one carriage a sign hung down with the words: “Glad” “Tide”-ings of Great “Joy.”
Palominas Road was lined with the cars of spectators, some sitting on tailgates and lawn chairs, while others stood at the ready to scoop up candy as the parade passed by.
The Palominas School District Band led the way, playing the holiday tune “Winter Wonderland.”
“It was nice,” said Jackie Ruiz. “For our little community, it was nice.”
The inclusiveness of the event gives it much of its charm.
“Anybody who wants to join in can do it,” Ruiz said.
John Waters, owner of the Palominas Trading Post with his wife, Pam, said he brought up the idea for the parade at a “community meeting” 13 years ago.
“I said, why don’t we have a Christmas Parade?” Waters said.
With the trademark free-for-all nature that continues to this day, the decision was made a month before the parade was to be held.
The first parade seemed to set the tone for years to come.
One of the groups participating in its inaugural year was the “Palominas Choppers,” Waters said. “The precision lawn mowing team of the town,” he said with a laugh.
In years past, the parade has drawn such off-beat participants as a group of kazoo players from Phoenix.
“I don’t know how they heard about it,” he said, but the more, the merrier. “We encourage people to get in our parade and have a good time.”
The event lasted less than 20 minutes — 30 minutes if you include the line of spectators that pulled their cars in behind the Palominas Fire Department Fire Engines bringing up the rear of the parade.
“We wanted to see something draw the community together,” Waters said of the initial idea for the Christmas Parade.
It may not have lasted long, but it that doesn’t matter to those that turn out for it.
“It’s still fun,” said Karen Thill. “I think everybody out here looks forward to it.”
Herald/Review reporter Derek Jordan can be reached at 515-4680 or by e-mail at derek.jordan@svherald.com.
To RT 92 Res wrote on Dec 14, 2008 6:45 PM:
If they asked you to leave, I can understand why. "