Beneath the glitter of a catered parade breakfast, a reserved grandstand seat or the pageantry of marching bands, unequaled equines and floral-bedecked floats exists a pre-Rose Parade, grass-roots hospitality.
Churches and other nonprofits along the 5½-mile route of the Tournament of Roses Parade roll out the welcome wagon to locals and out-of-town visitors by offering cheap parking and sometimes even a reserved folding chair along the parade route.
These institutions make money, for sure, by turning their parking lots and sidewalks into once-a-year fundraisers that pay the bills for youth groups, children’s programs and food pantries. Part-in-parcel with money-making comes a helping hand and a pre-dawn smile for parade watchers.
First United Methodist Church, at 500 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, allows parking for $25 a day at its lot off Los Robles Avenue and Green Street. For another $25, a sidewalk seat in front of the large, stone church can be secured to watch the parade.
No doubt, the church makes money. They expect to raise between $4,000 and $5,000 on Monday, Jan. 2, the day of the parade. This year, church leaders have earmarked the money for its youth group. Each year the youth goes on a trip where they participate in a building project or care for animals in the environment.
“The money will be used to help them pay for travel, hotels and possibly building materials for their youth tour,” said Ashley Slade, church communications director on Tuesday, Dec. 27. On year, the youth tour took them to a town in Mexico on the U.S. border; another year they cared for animals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, she said.
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Aside from the money raised for a good cause, the parking lot and sidewalk seats are an answer to prayer for Pasadena visitors. The church office starts receiving calls in July, she said. This year, some have reserved parking and seats from towns in Utah and Pennsylvania to see their Utah Utes or Penn State Nittany Lions square off in the Rose Bowl Game.
“One lady called from Pennsylvania and said it was her first time she has ever been to California,” Slade said. For more information call the church office at 626-796-0157.
Off Allen Avenue, just two blocks from Colorado Boulevard at 1801 Del Mar Boulevard in Pasadena, the worshippers at Rose City Church have been turning their parking lot into a fundraiser for decades. They will sell a parking space for $30 on a first-come, first-served basis.
But the price of parking comes with some snacks and a restroom break, explained lead Pastor Clare Ferguson Bravo. Bravo, a new mother, said they are opening up the church restrooms to help out families with little kids.
“The families with kids can come in and use the bathrooms,” she said. “You know, you’ve got everyone in the car and they need a break before they walk up to Colorado Boulevard.”
Bravo’s church hopes to stack-park the cars if warranted. Pre-pandemic, they always stacked about 60-80 cars. But last last year, the lot was not filled. The average take for the church is about $1,600 but that could rise on Monday.
She wants to use the money to help pay for the children’s ministry, since more of her congregants have had babies in the last two years.
Over at Hill Avenue Grace Lutheran Church, their location just a half-block off the parade route makes their parking lot a gem, said Leslie DeLuco, office administrator on Wednesday, Dec. 28. And you can’t beat the price at $20 a car.
The local church hopes to raise about $1,500, she said.
“This year the money will be for the Food Shelf team,” DeLuco explained. The church runs a food giveaway that feeds between 80-100 people a week.
“We can use the money to buy the non-perishable items. The cost of buying goods to hand out is going up,” she said.
To the west at Trinity Lutheran Church at 997 E. Walnut St. at Catalina Avenue in central Pasadena, Pastor Sharon Richter will launch Rose Parade parking at their small parking lot, which has 26 spaces. Last year they raised about $350 and it could raise more this year.
Proceeds will go to the church, with most funneled to the youth group, Richter said.
Trinity Lutheran is also only charging $20 a car. People can just show up early Monday morning. Or call the church at 626-792-1212 for more information. The church may accommodate RVs at a cost of $75, she said.
Many said their own congregation — from adults to teenagers — who help wave folks into the lots and collect the money — have a good time.
“It is a bonding experience,” said Bravo. “It is doing a project together.”
Ian James-Bergland, an associate pastor and long-time parking volunteer at Rose City Church, said regulars have been leaving their cars and walking to the parade for years. “They know us and they are excited to see us again and park their cars,” he said on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
At Trinity Lutheran in past years, the youth would bring sleeping bags and crash at the church the night before, then help park the cars in the morning. “The youth would order pizza, play board games, stay up all night,” Richter said.
Bravo said she usually provides food for her church volunteers. “I haven’t decided if we will do doughnuts or breakfast burritos,” she said.
Source: Orange County Register
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