Elks Rodeo Parade organizers are hoping to give local nonprofit groups a chance to raise some money at this year's event.

Nonprofit organizations in Santa Maria and Guadalupe are eligible to sign up to be vendors during the parade, but a representative of every group interested must attend a May 8 meeting with parade officials, said Bill Hamblin, one of the event organizers.

The mandatory meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the InWest Insurance office, 1525 E. Main St. in Santa Maria.

Officials are asking that interested nonprofit representatives bring two to three ideas of what they would like to sell along the parade route. Choices are suggested because organizers don't want duplicates, he said. Additionally, organizers will highlight what items cannot be sold because a professional vendor has already been selected for those items, Hamblin added.

The May organization meeting will also feature city representatives who are helping the Elks with the vendor-permit process.

This year's parade down Broadway is slated for May 31, with the rodeo scheduled from May 30 to June 1.

The theme for this year's parade is “65 Years of Friends, Family and Tradition.”

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The 2008 Elks Rodeo will feature just three performances - in the evening on May 30 and afternoons on May 31 and June 1. A Professional Bull Riders Inc. competition, featuring bull riding as part of the PBR's Challenger Tour, is planned for May 29, the night before the Elks Rodeo opens.

For rodeo and PBR tickets, call 922-6006, or visit www.santa mariaelks.com.