Photos taken by Hanna Crowley/ Mustang News
Friday night, for the 40th time, thousands of lawn chairs lined Higuera and Monterey streets as toddlers ran rampant up and down the boulevards in anxious anticipation of San Luis Obispo’s Annual Holiday Parade.
More than 70 floats would soon make their way down the parade route, showcasing the holiday spirit of local schools, teams, businesses and organizations.
Business administration sophomore Michaela Garr shared the excitement of some of the younger spectators.
“I love seeing all the kids running around and dancing and scootering,” she said.
Sure, the holiday parade is a regular occasion, but that didn’t make it any less delightful.
The diverse, vibrant crowd of spectators cheered wildly when the first participants rolled into view, and the streetside announcers came to life with their unabridged script of face-palm-worthy jokes.
The jokers happened to be a pair of Cal Poly alumni, English graduate Nick Bilich and Cal Poly Cross Cultural Centers Coordinator Adam Serafin, who relished the opportunity to entertain the community that welcomed them as students and graduates.
“It’s cool to continue to be a part of it after all these years, to continue to invest in the community,” Bilich said.
“It’s fun to see how the community all comes together for an event like this,” Serafin added. “And we add some amazing jokes, you know, to keep the crowd going.”
Here’s a sample of some of the sights and admittedly painful comedy witnessed by parade-goers.
“Do you know what type of bike Santa rides? A Holly Davidson.”
“I hope Johnboy’s Towing doesn’t let him go.”
“You’re all going to be shocked by this next float from PG&E.”
They’ve been playing for an hour now, and they’re steel going.
The folks from The Bike Happening had a wheelie good time.
“What does a reindeer say before telling a joke?”
“I don’t know, what?”
“This will sleigh you.”
An entirely unified routine.
“You’ll get a kick out of these guys.”
“What do you call Santa’s helpers?”
“Elves?”
“Subordinate clauses.”
“They’re making a list and body-checking it twice.”
“If a reindeer lost its tail, where would it get a new one?”
“A taxidermy shop?”
“A retail store.”
“What does Santa take pictures with?”
“Probably some sort of waterproof camera.”
“A North Polaroid.”