In the community

Music and masks in neighborhood parade in Ontario on Saturday

The parade will start at Optimist Park before hitting seven other neighborhoods and ending at the Four Rivers Cultural Center. (Aidan McGloin/The Enterprise)

A parade is coming to Ontario this Saturday evening.

The three-hour procession of trailer floats is courtesy of the Four Rivers Cultural Center, which will distribute Popsicles, masks and Covid information pamphlets in eight Ontario neighborhoods starting at 5 p.m.

The theme is Covid awareness mixed in with a tribute to the vibrancy of Ontario neighborhoods, said Tanya Navarrette, the center’s marketing and development director.

The parade will start playing family-friendly dancing music at Optimist Park before heading to Beck-Kiwanis Park, south to Lions Park, east to Lanterman Kiwanis Park and then west to Alameda Park, before ending at the Four Rivers Cultural Center.

The staffers in the parade will also release fliers explaining how to apply for Covid rental relief assistance.

The center is paying for the parade with some of the $54,986 grant from the Oregon Health Authority intended to foster education related to the pandemic.