Spreading Holiday Cheer for 50 Years! North of the River Christmas Parade Marches Toward a Milestone
by Leslie Carroll
by Leslie Carroll
Nov 28, 2023
“Our Christmas Parade embodies our unwavering dedication to the North of the River community,” said Jasmin LoBasso, superintendent of recreation and community services for the North of the River Recreation and Park District, which organizes the parade. “It's incredibly important to us to celebrate and preserve the legacy of the parade.”
The parade will celebrate its golden jubilee, with the theme NOR Parades of Past, Present, and Future (A Christmas Carol). But don’t expect Ebenezer Scrooge and his Bah, Humbug attitude to rain on this parade. Organizers are pulling out all the stops to create a festive holiday atmosphere worthy of a 50th anniversary celebration.
Over the past few months, NOR invited members of the community to submit memories of the parade in the form of written stories, photos, audio clips, or videos. Select memories will be part of a digital storytelling exhibition celebrating the Oildale and North of the River communities.
“Oildale holds a very special place in our heart; it's where NOR was born,” said LoBasso. “Some of our earliest parks and facilities, including the Riverview Community Center and Standard Park, continue to provide recreation space to the community.”
There is no shortage of nostalgia, when it comes to this decades old tradition. The first parade took place on December 15, 1973, making it the oldest Christmas parade in Bakersfield. Originally called “Children's Christmas Parade" it featured participants dressed up as storybook characters.
Although the themes, music and participants have changed throughout the years one thing remains the same. The NOR Christmas Parade is powered by people. During the energy crisis of the 1970s, NOR decided the parade would be non-motorized in an effort to save fuel. Since then organizers have maintained the tradition and the practice has become a point of pride.
“What makes the parade so unique is that it retains that festive quality that made parades of the past so enjoyable. As a traditional marching parade, it emphasizes engagement, community celebration, and brings you back to an era of nostalgic holiday celebrations,” said LoBasso.
Ruben Musquez began attending the parade back in 1984, when he starting working for the North of the River Recreation and Park District as a custodian. He was quickly tasked with coordinating set up, crowd control and directing traffic on the day of the event. For Ruben, the holiday tradition is all about bringing the community together.
“It's great for the kids, and it's great for the community. I think there's a lot of community pride with this event especially for people living in the Oildale area. It’s something the whole family can enjoy and that's why people keep coming back year after year,” said Musquez.
The 2023 North of the River Christmas Parade will be held on December 9 at 10 a.m. It takes place on North Chester Avenue, kicking off at NOR Park and passing multiple notable historical sites, including North High School, the Rathbun Library, Standard School District and Standard Park. For more information about the Christmas parade visit www.norfun.org.