Sacramento Turns To Kickstarter To Try And Save Santa Parade From Cancellation

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Sacramento tradition could be ending after 30 years as organizers may have to cancel the event because of a lack of funding.

It wouldn't be the first time they've had to cancel the event because of money problems, but this year, they are turning to crowdfunding to hopefully raise the money in a little over a week.

The Santa Parade is a Sacramento staple that Deep Saini has gone to for years. He was hoping to take his girlfriend, Avlyn Pooni this year after she moved to the area from Vallejo.

"When you decorate the whole city, that's when people start to feel like part of the community and they start to feel like it's Christmas," she said.

KICKSTARTER: Sacramento Santa Parade

But they may not get a chance to see Santa parading through the streets of Sacramento because of funding issues.

Parade Organizer Laurie Hensley says they've lost some key sponsors.

"To put on a parade, you have a lot of things that the city provides like services for the police and security," she said. "You also have things like insurance, port-a-potties on the route, barricades so nobody drives on the course."

Now the group is turning to Kickstarter in hopes the public will step up to the plate. Hensley says the parade needs $14,000 in the next 12 days.

"We learned this about 6 years ago when we were in danger of being canceled and the community said loud and clear 'please don't go away.' We love this holiday tradition," she said.

In that case, newly elected Mayor Kevin Johnson was able to save the parade at the last minute with leftover inauguration cash.

Hensley has more than 60 acts already booked for the Dec. 13 parade.

"I'm telling all of them, hold the date," she said. "We're hopeful. and as long as we have a lot of people visiting kickstarter.com we'll be alright."