Downtown Holiday Parade marches on

Some people might cringe at the idea of talking about Christmas before Halloween has even rolled around, but Danny Bilyeu didn’t have a choice this year. He had to find a float for Santa Claus.

For the past three months, Bilyeu has been working with a team of volunteers to address that and other logistical challenges in advance of the annual downtown Sarasota Holiday Parade. The event, scheduled for Dec. 3, is going on without its founder and longtime leader Paul Thorpe for the first time this year.

When Thorpe stepped down last year, it was unclear who — if anyone — would take his place. But the parade will go on, with Bilyeu organizing the 21st annual iteration of the holiday event.

“I’ve been working with Paul behind the scenes for years,” Bilyeu said. “He turned 90 this year, so I think he was ready for a rest. I like to do it, and I want the tradition to carry on, so I said I’ll step up this year and we’ll move forward.”

With just over two weeks before the big event, Bilyeu is relying on a group comprising other longtime volunteer coordinators and a few newcomers eager to help organize the Sarasota tradition. The deadline for applicants interested in joining the parade has passed, but the organizers are still working to squeeze 20 new participants into the route.

The theme for the 2016 holiday parade is “Salute to Veterans,” selected in honor of the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Bilyeu said the organizers are going to use the event to spotlight local veterans, particularly those who served in World War II.

“We’re going to lead it off with the veterans, and we’ve got an honor guard and a 1948 fire engine that are going to lead the way,” Bilyeu said.

Although there aren’t any significant changes in store for this year’s parade, Bilyeu is confident the event will still be a hit. And though Thorpe isn’t running the show anymore, Bilyeu also said the parade’s founder will still be there to participate in the festivities.

“He doesn’t want me to, but I’m calling him the grand marshal,” Bileyeu said with a laugh.