Holiday Happiness: 67th Annual Mother Goose Parade this Sunday

A holiday tradition beloved by generations of San Diegans will take place this weekend with plenty of pomp and pageantry. The 67th Annual Mother Goose Parade will step off Sunday morning in El Cajon.

This year's Grand Marshal is Shotgun Tom Kelly, who was honored earlier this year by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce with his own star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame. He and his wife, Linda, live in Fletcher Hills.   

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday at Main Street and Magnolia Avenue, then will continue eastbound on Main Street to Second Avenue, ending at Madison Avenue. 

Featuring a combination of floats, clowns in miniature cars, horses, local celebrities and marching bands, the parade is considered the largest parade in San Diego County and the second largest parade west of the Mississippi, behind the Rose Parade in Pasadena. 

Plenty of local figures will make appearances, including the Honorary Grand Marshals from the Al Bahr Shrine; El Cajon Police Chief Jim Redman, who will be riding with the department’s Mounted Patrol; and San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore, who will be riding in the parade surrounded by motorcycles, an armored tank, and the search and rescue team. 

And, of course, the most important official of all will be on hand. Santa Claus himself will close out the parade.