By Mary O’KEEFE

The 47th Annual Montrose Christmas Parade is on Dec. 6 at 6:10 p.m. There are a lot of traditions to this hometown parade, which include seeing Scouting troops, local high school bands and non-profit organizations march down Honolulu Avenue to cheering crowds. 

It is put on by a dedicated group of volunteers, many who work year-round to make sure this parade stays true to its origin – a community event. 

In the early 1950s the Montrose Christmas Parade was the idea of MGM musical star and local resident Dennis Morgan. He and some friends, including grand marshals Jackie Cooper, Jack Carson and others, joined in the community parade. The parade continued until Morgan moved out of the area. 

The parade was just a footnote in the history of Montrose until 1976 when Frank Roberts, a Montrose Shopping Park merchant, revived the Montrose Christmas Parade. This revised version of the parade continues today.

Joe Pardo has been a volunteer and leader for years of the Montrose Christmas Parade. 

“I was in the library looking for anything about the parade,” Pardo recalled. 

He came across a newspaper in the library’s archive that included a story about three sisters who, in 1956, rode a homemade float in the parade. 

“My sisters Chrissy and Peggy [along with me] rode on a float in 1956,” said Susan Paola. 

According to the Ledger newspaper that Pardo found, the float the sisters was on won a “special trophy from the Verdugo Hills Merchants Association.”

The float, according to the paper, was part of the local Lions Club and it was the organization’s traditional entry titled “The Santa Claus Float.” The year the sisters were on the float was the “most elaborate” one to date and featured a sleigh, Santa’s house, reindeer and children – including Susan and her sisters – awaiting St. Nick’s arrival. 

“My dad belonged to the Lions Club, and the Shriners and the Masons,” she said. “[Riding] on the float was a big deal.”

Susan’s sister Janie was too young at the time to ride on the float. 

Her father was very involved in the community. He owned Link’s Custom Shop in Montrose and Link Paola’s Outrigger Restaurant on Honolulu Avenue. Susan and her siblings grew up in the Crescenta Valley area. 

Susan doesn’t remember everything about being on the float – she was only 11 at the time – but she does remember she and her sisters were very excited. 

The three sisters have since gone on to careers in the film business. 

“My sister Christine was a stunt woman for 29 years,” Paola said. 

Her sister Peggy was a set decorator for films and television, and Susan worked in the industry in product placement. In fact, Susan played a significant role in bringing Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to California from North Carolina. 

“One of my favorite things [I did] is that I brought Krispy Kreme Doughnuts out for a movie,” she said. [The doughnuts] were brought out from the east coast.”

Paola added she was working at the time on the film “Primary Colors” with John Travolta and Kathy Bates. 

Everyone loved the doughnuts so much Paola would fly them out and deliver them to all of the studios. People took notice and started buying stock in the company, and eventually Krispy Kreme opened a store in La Habra in 1999. 

Doughnut lovers can thank Paola for that. 

And with the theme of this year’s Montrose Christmas Parade being The Christmas Time Machine Pardo thought it would be perfect to invite the sisters back to the parade and once again roll down the parade route. 

All of the sisters have moved from the area. Susan is in Tehachapi where she can be close to grandkids; Christine lives in the Valley; and Peggy was living in Altadena. She lost her home in the January fire and is now living with Christine while she works through the aftermath of the Eaton Fire. 

Jenny, who was too young that first time they were on the float, will unfortunately not be able to make it this year; however, the three older sisters are excited about joining the parade. 

“My dad was so involved in the [community], in so many things in [Crescenta Valley],” Paola said. “It is an honor to come back to the town I grew up in and have my sisters come back as well.”