BARSTOW — While Pasadena's annual New Year's Day Rose Parade has a quite a few years on it, having started in 1890, the annual Mardi Gras Parade held in Barstow ranks among the longest continually running parades in California.
Kiwanis Club member and co-organizer Bea Lint of the Desert Dispatch said this year's 83rd annual parade will be held Saturday night and the theme is “Volunteers are our Heroes.”
Retired Barstow police officer Tim Heiden fittingly is this year’s honorary grand marshal. Lint said Heiden is the “epitome” of giving back to the community.
Heiden said he was appreciative of being selected as the grand marshal but when he was informed of the news he said he had to think about it.
“I was very surprised and what I mean by that is there are so many amazing volunteers in our community that do so many things,” Heiden said. “I didn’t feel I deserved the honor when the club approached me. My initial reaction was to gracefully turn it down for that reason and I was asked to think about.”
Heiden said whatever he does to help the community is not possible without the help of his family. So he asked if the club would be kind enough to make the Heiden family the grand marshals.
Heiden and his wife are expected to ride on a Jeep provided by Mojave Auto Group down the parade route.
“This is truly a huge honor because I love the parade so much,” Heiden said. “As a police officer I even had the chance to lead the parade. But to be considered for the grand marshal, I was very humbled.”
The parade will start at 7 p.m. The parade route will start at Barstow Road and Main Street and proceed east to Mountain View Street. All entries must be in place by 5:30 p.m.
Judging will be held between 5:45 and 6:30 p.m. Parade entries not in place before 5:30 p.m. will not be judged.
Lint said she believes the most important aspect of the parade is community pride.
“I think that the community itself takes a great deal of pride in the parade and its people,” she said. "If you look at the people participating — civic leaders, schools, bands, car clubs and military — it’s every segment of our population. Everybody seems to help each other. You don’t have to look very far in Barstow whenever you need help.”