Christmas Parade 2008
The CFO and I attended the Christmas Parade in Sparta yesterday afternoon. Let me tell you, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has nothing on this one.
The parade got underway at 2:00 pm lead by the Alleghany County Sheriff's brand new vehicle with blue lights ablaze. Following it was the VFW honor guard carrying the colors. Then came the Marine Corps Veterans in red jackets and the Boy and Cub Scouts. Various civic organizations followed with the Grand Marshall in tow. The Alleghany County High School Band provided a musical interlude before the arrival of the commercial floats for Burger King, Alleghany Electronics/Radio Shack, and a few others I've forgotten. Next came a parade of very stately antique tractors and then a long procession of church floats. A nice showing of antique cars preceded an impressive assortment of fire trucks from the local fire departments (most of which had helped out with our fire here on the mountain several years ago and for which we gave a hardy cheer). Santa rode the last fire truck and 35 minutes after it started the parade itself was over.
I regret to inform that I have no pictures of the parade itself. I made this one photograph of the crowd in front of the courthouse and Farmer's Hardware before my camera announced the death of its batteries. I can tell you that we had an excellent turnout. Before the parade began, the line at the coffee bar at Bear Essentials Cabin Outfitters was twenty deep. And, following the parade, the CFO and I listened to a concert on the courthouse steps by the Alleghany High School Band for about twenty minutes before the traffic cleared enough for us to get out of the parking lot. (The camera battery had recovered enough for this one last photograph!)
We returned home to some hot chocolate and freshly made banana bread. The rain expected in the afternoon began shortly thereafter.
The parade got underway at 2:00 pm lead by the Alleghany County Sheriff's brand new vehicle with blue lights ablaze. Following it was the VFW honor guard carrying the colors. Then came the Marine Corps Veterans in red jackets and the Boy and Cub Scouts. Various civic organizations followed with the Grand Marshall in tow. The Alleghany County High School Band provided a musical interlude before the arrival of the commercial floats for Burger King, Alleghany Electronics/Radio Shack, and a few others I've forgotten. Next came a parade of very stately antique tractors and then a long procession of church floats. A nice showing of antique cars preceded an impressive assortment of fire trucks from the local fire departments (most of which had helped out with our fire here on the mountain several years ago and for which we gave a hardy cheer). Santa rode the last fire truck and 35 minutes after it started the parade itself was over.
I regret to inform that I have no pictures of the parade itself. I made this one photograph of the crowd in front of the courthouse and Farmer's Hardware before my camera announced the death of its batteries. I can tell you that we had an excellent turnout. Before the parade began, the line at the coffee bar at Bear Essentials Cabin Outfitters was twenty deep. And, following the parade, the CFO and I listened to a concert on the courthouse steps by the Alleghany High School Band for about twenty minutes before the traffic cleared enough for us to get out of the parking lot. (The camera battery had recovered enough for this one last photograph!)
We returned home to some hot chocolate and freshly made banana bread. The rain expected in the afternoon began shortly thereafter.
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