Marie Osmond Attends The 80th Anniversary Hollywood Christmas Parade 2011 Benefiting Marine Toys for Tots

On Sunday, November 27, 2011 The weather was perfect for every one to watch and enjoy The 80th Anniversary Hollywood Christmas Parade 2011 Benefiting Marine Toys for Tots.

The event was held from 4:00 pm staring with the celebrities red carpet arrivals and the parade started live at 6:00 pm from Hollywood California. Bill Lomas, Producer of the live parade and President of Hollywood’s Santa Parade LLC.

Some of the celebrities the attended the event were Quinton Aaron, Santa Claus, Erik Estrada, La Toya Jackson, Laura McKenzie, Booboo Stewart, Fivel Stewart, Mayor Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa, Lu Parker and Kate Linder.

From the Heart of Hollywood! Starting on Hollywood Blvd at Orange, the U-shaped parade route will travel east to Vine, south on Vine to Sunset Boulevard and west on Sunset, back to Orange.

The length of this year’s parade route is two and one half miles. Per event organizers approximately 2,000 people participated in this year’s parade. They featured a 10,000 square feet of Red Carpet on Hollywood Boulevard in front of the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

The Hollywood Christmas Parade is presented annually by Hollywood’s Santa Parade LLC, in association with The City of Los Angeles and Associated Television International.

About The Hollywood Christmas Parade: Since 1928, the Hollywood Christmas Parade has been an American tradition for over 80 years! There were three years during wartime when the parade wasn’t presented. The Hollywood Christmas Parade was originally called the Santa Claus Lane Parade. When the American performer Gene Autry, who was known as The Singing Cowboy, was riding on his horse down Hollywood Boulevard in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade, he heard parade spectators in the crowd exclaim, “Here comes Santa Claus!” This incident became the inspiration for Autry to compose the traditional perennial Christmas holiday song, “Here Come’s Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane),” which he co-wrote with Oakley Haldeman in 1949. Autry first recorded the song in 1947. The song was released as a single by Columbia Records, and became a #5 country and #9 pop hit at the time. Gene Autry is the only celebrity to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one in each of the five categories, Motion Pictures, Radio, Recording, Television and Live Theater. Today the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard at Highland Avenue, where the Hollywood Christmas Parade begins its two and a half mile route, is named Gene Autry Square. For more information please visit the parade’s official websites, www.thehollywoodchristmasparade.com and www.hollywoodchristmasparade2011.com

Photos credit to: Gisele Rebeiro from Party By 5, Stella Gomez, Alex Palomares and Francois Palais for Diversity News Magazine, Yahoo.com, Examiner.com
Video Host/Voice Over by Recording Artist FAWN and recorded/edited by John Palisano for Diversity News TV.