Electric Light Parade going to the movies

The Electric Light Parade not only will go on this year, it's going to the movies.

The parade's theme this year will be "Yuma in the Movies," said Susan Sternitzke, who stepped in to coordinate the traditional downtown Christmas event.

Sternitzke has pledged to continue the popular event after the death Nov. 2 of Dorothy Young. Young became known affectionately as the "Lite Lady" for creating and pulling off the parade in years past, when an estimated 12,000 spectators would gather to watch and ooh and aah over the sights and sounds.

“Absolutely, the parade will go on and it will be dedicated to her memory,” said Sternitzke. "Dorothy’s dream was for one magical evening for Yuma’s families. Our dream is to continue it in her honor ... that thousands come to thank Yuma's brightest light for bringing this festival to our community each year.”

This year's parade will be held Dec. 11, starting at 8th Street and Orange Avenue and proceeding north to end in downtown Yuma. There, it will be followed by a post-parade celebration with Santa Claus lighting the community Christmas tree, local entertainment, promotions by downtown merchants and food provided by local nonprofit organizations.

To make this happen, though, Sternitzke is looking for help from the community. She needs volunteers, sponsors and nonprofits that want to participate - not to mention parade entries.

A volunteer meeting has been scheduled for Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Heritage Festivals office, 180 W. 1st St. Anyone interested in volunteering with the parade is asked to attend the meeting.

To RSVP, call 782-5712. That's also the number for nonprofits to call if they would like to sell food and beverage items at the post-parade event as a fundraiser.

Arizona Public Service Co. again is the title sponsor of the parade, but other sponsorships are needed as well, said Sternitzke.

Sponsorship levels include $2,500, $1,000, $500 and $250. For more sponsorship information, contact Candace Kirk at Candace@visityuma.com or call 376-0100 or 919-0750.

To carry out the parade's "Yuma in the Movies" theme, participants are encouraged to create floats interpreting Yuma-made movies, Sternitzke said. Over the years, a number of movies have been filmed in the Yuma, with the "Star Wars" series' "Return of the Jedi" the most popular.

"It's a great venue to showcase local service groups, charities, schools and businesses," she said.

Entries for the parade are available at www.yumaheritage.com or by calling 782-5712. The fee is $25 to register and additional sponsorships are available to support the parade.

For the first time, programs will be distributed to parade spectators extending an invitation to residents and visitors alike to visit the after-parade activities and downtown stores, restaurants and attractions, Sternitzke said.

The programs also will include a schedule of 2009-2010 events in downtown Yuma and a tribute to Young.