The banner is on the corner of 170th Street East and Parkvalley in LLA.

Lake Los Angeles – One evening at the LLA Library, Vladimir Gomez spoke to me of a Christmas parade for this community and the vision he had for it. It was an exciting thought but that’s where it stopped. As time went on, other things took priority, life got in the way and changed his path of its development, or otherwise life continued to get in the way including life-saving surgery that took so much of his time, his energies and presented a long painful road to recovery for extended periods of time.

Then, early this year he spoke of it again to us but with a different tone of determination in his voice. He also turned a piece of property into a LLA Farmer’s Market which became utterly ridiculously complicated, but he stuck with it and with the strength, support and determinable collaboration with Erika Schwerdt and her talented and artistic SBCC team bringing their creativity, physical and mental muscle and energy to it, plus volunteers who contributed in so many ways, LLA Farmer’s Market became a reality.

Gomez navigated the perils of permits, insurance, and reams of paperwork that is attached to a parade as the market faced vicious anonymous opposition, expensive vandalism complicating matters, making it more difficult than it should be, damaging baseless complaints about it to the County, over 100 mindless complaints to Los Angeles County Health and more agencies, he worked it out with bringing every detail into compliance.

After 9 years of dreaming, hoping and planning, after life got in the way, surgery and setbacks, everything came together for him on Saturday, December 21, 2024

The First Annual Lake Los Angeles Christmas parade was a unifying spectacular success promising that this community will have their own community-owned event each year, something we can all look forward to and contribute to its success for all of us.

To have a unifying future community-owned event to look forward to is gratifying.

Thank you.

The photo of Vladimir and Erika was the beginning discussions of the LLA Community Farmer’s Market, its amenities and how it would become Parade Central someday.

Please click on the photo for full size.

Erika Schwerdt

Vladimir Gomez

By Shirley Harriman