Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance (WANA)

SAVE DAISY AVENUE

HENNESSY ARTICLE

Save the Daisy Ave. parade
Article Launched: 11/21/2007 09:45:26 PM PST


Fifty-four years ago, Gertrude Whittle did what few others have done. She convinced the City Council that she had a good idea.

Her idea was to decorate the median strip along a stretch of Daisy Avenue, the street on which she lived, with all manner of Christmas decorations: snowmen, elves, gingerbread men and lights in assorted colors.

With fir trees already in place, Whittle suggested decorating them as well.

A parade was added, homes were decorated, and the Daisy Avenue Christmas Tree Lane and Parade was born.

"Thousands of visitors, near and far, would come to the Lane to see the beautiful decorations," says Joan Pizatto, who has lived on Daisy for 51 years.

There was more, says activist and parade supporter Jill Hill.

"In 1989, Maria Norvell, Wrigley Association board member and Christmas Tree Lane chair, took on the task of organizing the decorations and raising money for the event and has been doing so every year since then."

In the annals of magic Christmas places, Daisy had taken a prominent place.

Lines drawn

But magic is a wispy commodity, and what happened this year was in Pizatto's lexicon "tragic," as if Rudolph had gone dark or the Polar Express had derailed. As my colleague Greg Mellen wrote:

"The story of how something so seemingly benign could go so wrong is a tale of tradition versus changing values, of conflicting agendas and underlying personal animosities

finally flaring to the surface."
What happened was this: Some Wrigley Association board members felt too much time and energy were going to Christmas Tree Lane. In March, they voted to divorce the annual festival from their responsibilities. The decision was ratified by the general membership in July.

This, the trustees felt, would give them time for other activities. Let someone else do Christmas Tree Lane.

Someone else is doing just that. Spurred on by board members who voted to have Wrigley keep the tradition, they are doing so under the banner of a new organization: the Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance, or WANA, as in "We wanna keep a good thing going."

Scrambling

"There will definitely be a parade this year," says Hill, who now serves on the WANA board. "The parade is a done deal. The city has even hired an event coordinator for it."

But with the parade stepping off at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, Hill says organizers are down to the wire and that there are problems, some of which may not be resolved until next year.

"We still don't have enough power to light all the trees and we may not have enough to light the newly painted and renovated displays sufficiently."

No trees were lit last year because the electrical power was not up to code. Hill notes that Phil Hester, director of Parks, Recreation and Marine, has promised help on providing power, but it may be limited because it is costly.

Other events

On Dec. 9, from 7 to 8 p.m. Santa will visit the lane and give out candy canes. The "right jolly old elf" will return on the 14th, 15th, and 16th, same time.

Because of the expense, Christmas Tree Lane will offer entertainment two nights instead of the usual four.

On Sunday, Dec. 9, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., there will be performances by the International Children's Choir, Folklorico Izamna, and the Apple Creek Cloggers. On Saturday, Dec. 15, there will be Christmas caroling from 7 to 8 p.m. Both will take place at 20th Street and Daisy Ave.

To the future

Meanwhile, Hill and others of WANA are working on the new organization's finances while looking toward next year's traditional program. They are seeking sponsors, forming a 501c3 for tax exempt purposes, and are accepting contributions.

Donations may be sent now to Friends of WANA, P.O. Box 6370, Long Beach, 90806.

"This is the only neighborhood community parade that's still run by the city," says Hill. "It's one of a kind. People who move away later come back to live on Daisy again because they love the whole thing, the parade and the decorations."

Like all traditions, Christmas on Daisy Lane is special. Please help preserve it, if you can.

And enjoy yourselves.