Colton’s 49th Christmas Parade Turns Museum Corner Into a Hub for Community Stories

The Colton Chamber of Commerce’s 49th Annual Christmas Parade rolled down North La Cadena Drive on Saturday, bringing more than three dozen floats through the city in a showcase of civic pride, youth opportunity and local history.

Among the parade participants were Colton native state Sen. Eloise Gomez Reyes, Mayor Frank Navarro and Councilmember Dr. G, along with entries from Teamsters Local 1932, the Colton Area Museum, Colton Joint Unified School District, Colton police and the Tomorrow’s Leaders Foundation.

Bertha Flores, vice president of the Colton Joint Unified school board, said she attended the parade representing both the district and Tomorrow’s Leaders Foundation, which raises scholarship money for graduating seniors.

“At Tomorrow’s Leaders Foundation, we raise money for scholarships for our high school seniors in Colton Joint Unified.”

Flores said the foundation is still young, but has already expanded the size of its awards. “We’re a fairly new foundation, about two years old and the first year we gave $500 scholarships,” she said. “And this past year we awarded $1,000 scholarships.” She said the goal is “to provide more scholarships, bigger scholarships” for students from Grand Terrace, Slover Mountain, Colton, Bloomington and Washington High Schools.

Flores said recipients can use the scholarships for practical expenses as they start college. “Basically for books, for supplies, for anything they need for college,” Flores said.

Flores said the foundation is “actively seeking donors from businesses, individuals,” and stressed that “every single dollar that we raise goes to the foundation goes to scholarships for our kids.” She added that the scholarships support local students.

Looking ahead, Flores said she wants to see Colton continue building pathways for students — whether in college or career tracks — while also expanding support for student well-being. “We have so many outstanding programs,” she said, pointing to what she described as continued momentum across district campuses.

Flores highlighted the district’s Wellness Program, which she said recently received the Golden Bell award in California. “We had the wellness program even before COVID but once Covid got here, you know, the need just skyrocketed,” she said. “So we have continued to expand the program and to make resources available to our kids.”

Flores said the district’s wellness director is Antonio Castro and that the program includes interns and “a crisis team.” She said each middle and high school has a wellness center where students can step away, reset in a “relaxing atmosphere,” and talk with staff when needed.

Flores also framed her work as deeply personal, describing decades of involvement with the district. “I actually was a student here, and then I was an instructional aide, and then I was a parent, and then I was a teacher, then a school principal, a director,” she said. “I retired and now I’m back as a school board member, so I’m here to stay.”

She said her connection to the district goes back to childhood. “I was in third grade at Wilson, which is, you know, wow, 60 something years ago,” Flores said, adding she sees her own early experience reflected in many students. “I was a little girl from Tijuana. That came when I was in the second grade. I did not speak a word of English,” she said. “I see myself in a lot of the kids.”

As the parade crowds moved past the Colton Area Museum, museum secretary Lori Sanchez said the event also serves as a visibility boost for a community institution that many residents still don’t realize is open.

“The museum reopened February 24, 2024,” Sanchez said, adding it had been closed “about five or six years” during COVID and while being refurbished. She said the renovation was supported through a grant tied to then-Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes.

Sanchez said the work included painting, new flooring, elevator repairs and upgrades to make the building “earthquake proof,” calling the overall cost “close to a million dollars.”

Inside, Sanchez said visitors can find historical displays throughout the building — including exhibits on longtime community figures and industry — and Colton High School yearbooks that span generations. “We have every single yearbook starting from 1903,” she said, noting the oldest is protected because it cannot be handled like newer volumes.

Sanchez said the museum’s most immediate need is staffing support. “We need people to volunteer,” she said, explaining that the museum’s current hours are limited because the board is volunteer-run. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM, she said, and admission is free.

Sanchez said the parade helps prompt basic questions from passersby — including confusion about the historic building’s former identity. “They think it’s still a library. Hasn’t been a library since 1987,” she said, adding she is glad the Carnegie building was preserved.

By day’s end, Flores said the parade captured what she believes residents value most about the city. “One thing that makes Colton special is that it’s so united as you can see today in the parade,” she said. “You know, the unity is amazing.”