Mayor's office bought in Los Molinos

Politics is often viewed in a negative light, with scandals often in the headlines.

Hearing of a candidate buying her or his way into office isn't unheard of, especially in the small town of Los Molinos, where the mayor's office is "bought" annually.

Each April, the Los Molinos Chamber of Commerce solicits candidates for the position of honorary mayor, and the candidate with the most money wins.

The candidate who raises the most money during the two-month campaign wins the title for a year, and a front row seat in the town's annual Independence Day Parade.

Beginning around Mother's Day, candidates' campaign signs start going up, as they start holding car washes, bake sales, barbecue and spaghetti dinners, cow chip bingo, poker runs and quilt raffles to raise money.

And the community gets to join in the fun by voting for their favorite candidate — with money of course.

Canning jars with a slit in the lid, representing each candidate, are placed around town where "voters" can place coins and dollars to vote for their favorite candidate.

The purpose of all this activity is to raise money to cover expenses for the annual Los Molinos Independence Day Parade and PlayDay In The Park.

For 45 years, the community has closed down the portion of Highway 99E that runs through town for the parade. Then it's off to the Tehama County park for PlayDay In The Park, where youngsters and oldsters alike enjoy activities, a classic all-American barbecue, sodas and ice cream.

The event opens with the National Anthem and closes with the presentation of awards, trophies and ribbons for the "Best Of" categories in the parade.