33rd annual light parade illuminates Main Street in Presque Isle

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The freezing rain that delayed the 33rd annual Light Parade did little to dampen spirits when the event finally was held on Dec. 4.

Lines of vehicles decorated with lights and some scenes being pulled along on flat trailers whose occupants tossed or handed out candy to excited onlookers made their way along Main Street.

From the approximately 52 floats that participated, the grand champion was the one that Big Rock Youth Ski Team entered. Silver Star Enterprises won best float for the business category, with Washburn Pentecostal Church winning best float for the faith-based category. Evergreen’s 4-H Club took best float for non-profits, and Junior Miss Mars Hill and Little Miss Mars Hill won the best float in the general category.

“People love this parade. People start parking at noon to save their spot,” said executive director of Aroostook Chamber of Commerce LaNiece Sirois. “It’s important to them. To them it means Christmas is here.” 

Like last year, Pineland Farms had volunteers help with overseeing the parade line-up. Both Pineland Farms and Versant Power were the sponsors of this year’s Light Parade. The lineup for the parade began at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The parade ended at North Street.

“It was an awesome year to promote how successful our season has been and how excited and thankful we are to have all of these great families,” said owner of All Star Gymnastics and Cheering Chloe Wheeler. “We wanted to show off the girls that can tumble and represent our business and we had so many kids excited to do it.”

All Star Gymnastics had a short bus decked out in lights with three stars shining out from the top. About 40 kids participated in the Light Parade from two locations of All Star Gymnastics in Aroostook County.

Another float was the Northern Maine Figure Skating Club with a scene from the movie “Frozen” of when Kristoff and Anna meet Olaf in the Winter Wonderland. The Figure Skating Club themed their float after one of their musicals on ice — which was “Frozen” this year — with around 15 members from the Figure Skating Club.

“Everyone was singing, smiling and giving out candy,” said board of directors member of Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce Michelle McFarline. “It was a really good time.”

The Chamber of Commerce float theme was Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus with volunteers from Presque Isle high school passing out candy to people enjoying the dazzling display of lights from Santa’s reindeer and sleigh.

“Looking at these floats this year everyone brought their best. It was remarkable and I think it was exactly what our community needed,” McFarline said.

There were three judges from Thompson Financial Group at the booth in front of Gary’s Furniture on Main Street for the light parade floats. The four categories for judgment were business, non-profits, faith-based organizations and general.

The announcers for the light parade were financial professional Jamie Guerrette from Thompson Financial Group and Dick Palm from WAGM.