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Organizers in San Ramon are in the final stages of a months-long planning process for an ambitious celebration this weekend that serves as a highlight of the city’s 40th year since incorporation.
The San Ramon 40th Anniversary Light Parade this weekend aims to celebrate “40 years of creating community,” according to the theme of this year’s anniversary, bringing together the growing number of San Ramon community members to celebrate the city’s history and ongoing evolution.
“We really looked at it as a community builder, and it’s such a great way to build community, and it’s such a great way to celebrate what makes the San Ramon community so successful — it’s your businesses, your community groups, your nonprofits, your schools,” San Ramon Chamber of Commerce CEO Heidi Kenniston-Lee said.
“I think the big reason everyone was so excited about it was because it was going to build community,” she added.
The parade is set to be a unique celebration locally, with organizers taking inspiration from light parades at Disney theme parks and larger cities.
“I think it’s really neat that you can combine the magic of that specific type of parade with building community and celebrating all of your community components with a light parade, so for me it was such a beautiful, magical thing to do in San Ramon,” Kenniston-Lee said.
The parade was already in the works as part of the city’s 40th anniversary celebrations prior to Kenniston-Lee’s departure from her longtime tenure on the Parks and Community Services Commission and ahead of her selection as chamber president and CEO over the summer. Her connection to the event continues in her current position, with the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce being a sponsor of the parade.
However, she pointed to the efforts of current city staff as being central to getting the event off the ground and ensuring every detail was worked out.
“They thought about everything, from safety to restrooms to parking,” Kenniston-Lee said.
Keith Haase, a program manager for the event in the Parks and Community Services Department, is among the city employees working tirelessly on the event ahead of this weekend.
“It has been quite the experience for staff,” Haase said. “The last time the City of San Ramon hosted a parade was over 20 years ago. So there was a steep learning curve for the staff, in which we met with several parade directors in the surrounding communities to get their input and knowledge.”
Haase pointed to support from sponsors and the community as in turn being crucial for the anticipated success of the celebration, as well as motivation for organizers from the get-go.
“Inspiration for a light parade really came from the idea of San Ramon’s diverse population and how each culture uses light in different ways in celebrations,” Haase said. “However, with this year being San Ramon’s 40th anniversary, it was a great opportunity to theme the parade as a birthday celebration to reflect on 40 years of Creating Community and look forward to continued community diversity, unity and successes in the years to come.”
Camino Ramon between Norris Canyon and Bollinger Canyon roads is set to be closed starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 4) to accommodate staging of the parade entries at 4 p.m., when spectators are invited to start lining up along the parade route. Music from Olympia Brass Fields will start at 6 p.m., ahead of the official kick-off of the parade at 6:30 p.m. Festivities are set to wrap up by approximately 8:30 p.m.
“The real highlight of the event will be how each of the groups use lights to celebrate San Ramon’s 40th birthday and make their parade entries stand out,” Haase said. “We have a wide array of entries from youth dance and sports groups to local businesses, car clubs to Fire and Police vehicles that will all be lit up for the event.”
The dozens of entries anticipated in the parade qualify for five awards that will be presented after the event, consisting of prizes for San Ramon Spirit, Best Use of Spirit, Best Use of Lights, Best Lit Walking Group, Best Lit Vehicle/Float and a Judge’s Choice award.
Spectators are encouraged to bring food and non-alcoholic beverages, with no food or drinks set to be available for purchase.
