Like Whoville gathered in the town square with no Grinch to steal Christmas away, Sweet Home turned out in droves to celebrate the holiday season Saturday night.
Kicking off the celebration, the Sweet Home High School jazz band and the Singing Christmas Tree performed at a tree lighting ceremony. Counting down, a 40-foot tree donated by Cascade Timber Consulting lit up and the nighttime parade started.
Sidewalks were lined with people the length of Main and Long streets between 18th and 10th avenues. Parking lots were filled with spectators keeping warm in their cars.
On the streets, the SHHS jazz band provided live music for the parade for the first time in a couple of years.
With some Christmas lights, Don Koch turned his dune buggy from a summer-time toy into a Christmas-time toy delighting spectators as he popped wheelies.
Rice Logging sported an elaborate light show with snowmen and a nutcracker. A unicyclist followed closely behind but ahead of Melcher Logging’s elegant float of white lights, white houses and snow with children in miniature jeeps.
Along the streets, parents pointed and children cheered. The cold winter air and hot chocolate from local merchants only added to the festive ambiance. The only thing missing from the scene was snow.
The usual daytime parade was combined with the smaller light parade, which has been running for the last couple of years in the evening.
“We thought it would be a good thing for Sweet Home to do,” Karla Hendrickson said. Hendrickson has coordinated the light parade in past years. She along with Chamber of Commerce, city officials, Sweet Home Ambassadors and the police department thought it would be “a little more upbeat.”
Those watching thought the whole event was much better at night.
“We’ve watched the daytime parade,” Sally Carpenter said. “This is the first time for the night time. We like it.”
“It’s better,” Savanna, 7, who was with Carpenter said.
“We like the lights,” Carpenter said.
Her sister and brother-in-law Paula and Paul Carr from Dallas came down for the parade with their children to get an idea what to expect at Salem’s upcoming Festival of Lights. This is the second year, he will be leading a Scout Troop in that parade.
“It’s fun,” Gwen Peters, with her son on her lap, said. “It’s a new twist in the traditional parade. It’s a good change. I actually like it better. They have more lights, so it’s more exciting. I like it a lot. The jazz band was really great. They sound really good. I think people get into it a little more (with the music and lights).”
She thought the cold air itself helped add to the mood; but she lived in Minnesota for awhile so the cold was relative.
“I think it’s nice,” Jerry Olson said. “The turnout is bigger than during the day. The lights are pretty.”
“We like it,” Rick Jones said. “I’m surprised as many people cam out as there were.”
The turnout for the light show alone helped make the atmosphere of the event better, he said.
Randy and Joyea Warren with their daughter Shaleen recently moved to Sweet Home from Cave Junction. There, parades were much smaller and during the daylight.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Joyea said. “I think it’s really pretty. It’s very Disney.”
The event was coordinated by a variety of persons, City Manager Craig Martin said. Among the companies that helped put the parade and tree lighting ceremony on were Cascade Timber Consulting, AT&T Broadband and Les Schwab Tire Center.
Pacific Crest did a great job getting power to the tree, Martin said, and about CTC, “you’ve just got to watch out when you ask a timber company for a 40-foot Christmas tree. You might get one.”
The Christmas tree is located at the corner of Long and 18th on Les Schwab property.
Sweepstakes Grand Prize — Rice Logging.
Big Rigs Division — Melcher Logging/4-M Fiber, first; Oregon Department of Transportation snow plow, second.
Boats — The Keeney family, first; the O’Berg family, second.
Floats — Mountain View Realtors, first; Oregon Jamboree, second.
Horses — Chafin Farms carriage, first; Star-Spangled Freed Riding Club, second.
Vehicles — Sweet Home Four-Wheel Drive Association, first; D&D Sandtoys, second.
Groups — Cub Scouts Pack 367.
Schools — Foster Elementary, first; Sweet Home High School Jazz Band, second.
Marching Units — Cub Scouts Pack 363, first; Sweet Home Junior High Cats Dance Team, second.
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