Floats sought for light parade

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    Nothing rings in the holidays more visually than a Holiday light parade and Aroostook County offers a couple of such parades to brighten the winter nights.
    In Southern Aroostook, the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Holiday Light Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27. According to Chamber Executive Director Lori Weston, the parade marks the official start to the holiday shopping season.
    This year’s theme is “Christmas in Lights.”
    “The parade marks the arrival of Santa Clause to Houlton, where kids can come and meet him and we also hold the tree lighting ceremony at that time” Weston said.
    The parade begins at the Houlton Shopping Plaza on the North Road and proceeds down North Street and up through Market Square, where a trailer will be set up for children to meet with Santa Claus. Again this year, elves will be busy transforming the downtown area into a special visiting place for Santa to greet the children. Local merchants will also be open for shopping, and have traditionally reported an increase in business during the light parade.
    The light parade evolved from a traditional afternoon Christmas parade on the weekend after Thanksgiving.
    “There has always been a parade, but it used to be held during the day,” Weston said. “Attendance for the light parade has been fantastic. We typically have upwards of 3,000 people attending the event.”
    Nearly 30 floats were decorated with lights last year. The chamber is currently seeking entries for this year’s light parade. For more information, call 532-4216.