by Roger Garay for The Alpine Sun
This year’s Alpine Viejas Days Parade theme is Honoring our Veterans. One thing new, unique, and wonderful is that the two, honorable, Veterans organizations in town, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion, are coming together to provide a joint Honor Guard to lead the parade.
The Alpine Stagecoach Lions Club is a 501c3 Public Charity with a specified mission to provide assistance for the Sight and Hearing Impaired – everything we do is in support of that Mission.
by Roger Garay for The Alpine Sun
This year’s Alpine Viejas Days Parade theme is Honoring our Veterans. One thing new, unique, and wonderful is that the two, honorable, Veterans organizations in town, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion, are coming together to provide a joint Honor Guard to lead the parade.
The Alpine Stagecoach Lions Club is a 501c3 Public Charity with a specified mission to provide assistance for the Sight and Hearing Impaired – everything we do is in support of that Mission.
• The September 28th Parade (an Alpine tradition for over 50 years) is not intended only as a “feel good Community Service event” (although it certainly does that) it is a fundraiser to enable us to help the sight and hearing impaired, it has been.
• On June 14th we held a Health Fair for Vision and Diabetes Screenings at the CVS Parking Lot (with their generous permission) where we provided screenings for 32 people; many were able to walk away with reading glasses issued to them at no charge. We were assisted in this by Dr. Ron Short, an Optometrist from SoCal Kaiser Permanente, utilizing a mobile optometry office provided by the Imperial Lions Club and assisted by other Lions Clubs from San Diego. There were product vendors participating, a Clown to paint the faces of and entertain the children (courtesy of Freespirit the Clown), a Massage Chair and operator from Native Dreams Day Spa, and information booths to help folks learn about the Affordable Care Act (John Yeatman Insurance, Mountain Health, Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation, and Fresh Start Surgical Gifts). Many of these folks will be again with us at the Sep 28th Craft Fair.
• In February we will be holding our Annual Dog Show, the proceeds of which will be used to assist folks in need to obtain a “seeing-eye” or other assistance dog.
• Throughout the year we collect eyeglasses form folks so they can be refurbished and recycled for use by others.
• We are also sponsors of and participants in the Mother Goose Parade Association.
At the Sep 13th Veterans Wall of Honor ceremony, I challenged all the Veterans present, and their respective organizations, to try to enter as many of such folks as possible to march or ride in the Parade. We have in our town an ever dwindling number of Veterans from WWII and all conflicts since then.
We are staging the Parade up both sides of W. Victoria, from the 5-point intersection to the bridge over the Freeway. W. Victoria will be closed from 12:30 pm, there will be no parking allowed (we have contacted the HOA and Apt Managers to let their residents know). Alpine Blvd from the 5-points to Tavern Road will be similarly closed.
Businesses and Organizations along the staging area have generously donated the use of their parking lots to help with the staging: The Women’s Club, The Alpine Community Church, and Holt Travel and Tours. and the Calvary Chapel of Alpine.
The Parade Step-Off is at 2 pm from Alpine Blvd. and 5-points, and ends at the Alpine Community Center park grounds, where the Craft Fair will have been under way (10 am to 4 pm). The Fair is open to the public at NO CHARGE, and will feature music, performances by the Alpine Dance Academy, Arts and Crafts vendors, and organizations distributing literature. Announcing stations will be at the 5-points and in front of Keller Williams Realty
Come pay tribute to the Veterans and join the fun!
