EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The Sun Bowl Association is desperately looking to find a new warehouse to store its 17 Sun Bowl Parade floats.
The warehouse where the floats are currently stored is set to be demolished to build a new medical center after the current lease expires at the end of January 2024.
Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas said they have been searching for a new facility for almost a year, but they have been unable to find one that meets the criteria.
“We’re looking for a very minimum of 10,000 square feet. 20,000 would be more ideal, at least. But I think the minimum we need is a 10,000-square-foot building with a gate, or a door, or an opening that’s at least 15 feet high and 14 1/2 feet wide,” Olivas said.
The building would need to allow them to move the floats in and out, and provide ample space for volunteers to build the floats.
Olivas explained that if they are unable to find a new warehouse in time, the Sun Bowl Parade’s future could be in jeopardy.
“Well, obviously, the worst case scenario is that the parade would cease to exist. And we don’t want to do that. I can’t. That’d be the worst. Other than that, we’d have to maybe find a place and build floats that are smaller in size,” he said.
The Sun Bowl Parade just concluded its 87th anniversary, and Olivas said scaling back in size is contrary to what they have been striving for.
“But we always say, ‘Don’t never be satisfied. Always keep on making it better and bigger and better.’ And that’s the way and that’s the way it’s been. The bar raises every year and we’ve even had floats with fireworks involved. And we’ve had all kinds of floats…so we just try to keep on making it better and better and better, and I think that’s what’s happened over the last 20 years” Olivas said.
People who have, or know anyone that has warehouse space that meets the criteria can reach out to the Sun Bowl Association at (915) 533-4416.
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