The Maytime Band Review is being awakened from the dead.
San Diego County’s oldest parade was a fixture in National City since 1940 before going extinct in 2005 because its lead organizer had retired.
But a small committee was recently established with the hopes of bringing back National City’s beloved parade in 2016 to Highland Avenue.
“We started a stirring committee a couple months back,” said Karen Azhocar, the person spearheading the revival effort. “We gathered some people together to try to see if this is a possibility for us to make this happen.”
A steering committee is a committee that makes strategic decisions concerning future projects.
In the next few months, Azhocar and her committee plan to approach City Council with a proposal that will outline their plans to bring back the parade such as what it is going to take, the key players involved and the financial strategy.
“We’ve been doing some exploratory research to determine what administrative hurdles we need to overcome,” said Dukie Valderrama, a committee member.
Azhocar, is part of the Mother Goose Parade Association and past president of the event, she said her experience with planning and producing the Mother Goose Parade is vital to bring back Maytime Band Review.
Although Azhocar has plenty experience putting together the Mother Goose Parade, she said the Maytime Band Review presents its own challenges.
“It’s about competition, it is about highlighting the bands,” she said. “It’s a different type of parade in that it is filled with music. You bring bands from around the state of California and outside the state of California.”
Azhocar estimates that the Maytime Band Review will cost $30,000 to $40,000, which she characterized as the “bare minimum cost.” She said the cost would cover police security, city permits, and equipment.
“Something like this is very expensive,” she said. “We need to start (funding now for a 2016) parade.”
She said funding plans include obtaining grants, personal donations and fundraising. She also said the city should contribute.
Need city to contribute to funding
Azhocar said having the parade return back to National City would provide an economic boost for its businesses.
Valderrama said he is up to the challenge to revive the Maytime Band Review.
“It’s very difficult to try to reestablish something that’s been a long standing event in the city,” he said.
“I think it is a worthy cause to explore.
The trend of reviving long-standing traditions in the South Bay continues.
After a two-year hiatus, Chula Vista’s Starlight Parade is making a comeback this December.
Bonitafest, which wraps up next week, almost took its final breath this year when the Bonita Business and Professional Association announced it would disband as an association, and that it would no longer sponsor the historic event.
That was until passionate Bonitans stepped in and put together a scaled down version of Bonitafest this year, with plans of a larger event in 2015.
South Bay Pride kicked off the fundraising year slowly as it searched for money to host the event. The LGBT event happened last week after securing several sponsors.
