CONNECT Linn County gave Brownsville its first lighted Christmas parade on Friday, Dec. 12, after convincing the county’s roadmaster to allow lights on the bridge.
City Administrator Scott McDowell said CONNECT Linn County was able to pull the whole thing together in just a matter of weeks, even after he told them the county doesn’t allow lights on the bridge.
When Tika Harrison, one of the founders of the nonprofit, heard that, she said, “Well, can I at least try?”
It took some hoop-jumping and help from friend Larry Northern, but CONNECT eventually got what they wanted. Next year, Harrison said, they want to hang wreaths on each side of the bridge and decorations down the center of the trestle.
If CONNECT volunteers were in any way disappointed with how their first parade went, McDowell said, “I don’t think you need to look past the monumental effort that you got actual permission from the county to do it. That’s a pretty big feat in a short amount of time.”
But it was well attended and the parade entries were “impressive,” he said.
There were 57 entries who were emceed by “Mr. and Mrs. Mistletoe” (Ray and Linda McCormick) and “Jingle Bells Princess Deb” (Debbie Larsen), a former business owner who was honored in the event as she closed out her time in Brownsville before moving to Nevada.
According to Harrison, this may well be Brownsville’s first Christmas parade, as no one can recall the city ever having one. It’s also the first time in some 20 years the bridge had lights on it.
“I thought it was one of the best parades I’ve ever seen in Brownsville,” McDowell said. “And the fact it was night with the fog with the lights, it was pretty awesome.”
