A couple Pacific Palisades Community Council members took issue Thursday night with the quality of this year's , calling it "boring" and "bad."
Area 1 Alternate Carol Bruch and Public Safety Advisor Amy Kalp said the parade has been a disappointment in recent years and both women want to work more closely with the Palisades Americanism Parade Association (PAPA) to address to issue.
"If they got rid of all the cars," Bruch said. "They’re boring. [With] the bands, walking groups and people that actually do something, the parade wouldn’t be running long anymore. It would be snappy and be fun."
Bruch said the parade has been boring in previous years and she declined a request to attend last week.
"I got a note that a person’s 8-year-old boy was bored," she added. "And it does reflect badly on Pacific Palisades with a boring parade and delays in performances."
Kalp agreed with Bruch, saying the community or a council should volunteer their time for PAPA. Noting the parade is nationally known, she suggested more floats be entered.
"Obviously, it was money," Kalp said. "People didn’t contribute much this year. Everyone around me was bored. Kids were playing on their computers or were crying."
Kalp noted there was a lot of gaps.
"The parade was 20 minutes late starting because traffic enforcement didn’t stop people from going down Via De La Paz westbound."
Council member Gil Dembo, of the Temescal Canyon Association, told Bruch and Kalp that PAPA needs all the help it can get, and volunteers need to step up to donate time and money.
"We're not the Rose Bowl Parade," he said. "I've been watching the parade for some 40 years. It’s a hometown parade. It’s not a Macy’s [Day] parade. It’s a little bit funky. We can’t expect giant balloons or some gimmicks."
This is a hometown, homegrown parade. There are no float designers. Millions of dollars are not being spent. If someone wants to criticize, at least make it positive criticism. Volunteer - if only your ideas. I don't think it is helpful to call the parade boring - instead say "maybe next year we can do...." and then, even better, step up to the plate and help make it happen!
It's supposed to be a small town parade. If your kids are bored, it's because they've been babysat they're entire lives by TV and the Internet. Sound like Amy and Carol were the ones who were actually bored...kids pick up on that. Look at your own reflections in the mirror before you judge an honored tradition in our town. As an alternate and an advisor, you should know that it's best to listen and learn before you call out those who can teach you something. I expect great changes to avoid that dreaded boredom next year as Bruch and Kalp work with PAPA on this most pressing problem. Happy to see these two council members working so hard to fix our biggest problems. The fact that an enormous percentage of our commercial property is (and has been for years) empty, is not as much if a concern as a boring one-day parade. There better not be one child or adult feeling bored at the 2013 parade. I just read the article and I note that Bruch did not attend the parade. Showing up is a minimum requirement if you are going to comment and fix problems. But then again, life is sometimes boring. God forbid.
One final thing - Our choices of city council members needs to be geared to finding mature people who will actually show up for events and find solutions to real problems. As CK commented above, it is not helpful to name call and anyone who would be so immature to call a parade *boring* is not mature enough to sit on the council. Copied from the article - Bruch said the parade has been boring in previous years and she declined a request to attend last week. "I got a note that a person’s 8-year-old boy was bored," she added. "And it does reflect badly on Pacific Palisades with a boring parade and delays in performances." Actually Carol, having you on the council is what reflects badly on Pacific Palisades. You may have been bored with an event with which you did not even attend, but the definition of a bore is a dull, tiresome, or uncongenial person.
We were in front of Yoga Works. There were 2 sky divers rather than 4. The two were later than usual. We surmised that they were late due to the low cloud cover on the 4th. One of them landed perfectly directly in front of us to great applause and the parade started immediately following this exciting event. It was the opposite of boring. I don't know what they're talking about. I absolutely agree with Long Time Resident: if you're not part of the solution, you're the problem. These two problems have given us the solution of replacing them on the council. Thank you Caril and Amy. I am available.