Parade worth the wait
GREENCASTLE -- First runs are often difficult. There's a reason that words and phrases like "prototype" and "working out the kinks" exist. With a parade, the only way to work out the kinks is to have the parade and adjust for the next time.
Greencastle's Christmas parade had some of those expected kinks, but it also had a lot going for it.
"I hate that we started 20 minutes late," said Crystal Stonebraker, the parade organizer and a self-admitted Christmas lover. "Other than that it went pretty well. Hopefully, next time we'll have more people involved, both in the parade and watching. It's something to work on."
As the delay mounted, some of the people waiting on the courthouse became restless. The cold weather, which hovered around 26 degrees, had some people dancing around in an attempt to keep warm.
Once the police sirens signaled the start of the parade, though, everyone seemed to brighten up.
After the police went by, a number of different vehicles came down the street. One carried an alpaca, an animal that looks like a small llama or a furrier camel. Another held The Grimace, the large purple McDonald's mascot. The boy scouts and girl scouts were both represented, and some custom motorcycles made an appearance. A Dalmatian mascot manned one of the fire department's trucks and Santa himself rode in on a fire truck, waving to the crowd. All the while, candy was thrown to the crowd.
"That was fun," said Erin Confer-Staggers. "I like parades, even if I have to wear boots to watch them."
After the parade, Santa Claus went to his impromptu workshop in the courthouse, where children could have a picture taken with him. There were baked goods for sale, free hot chocolate and coffee. It was also just a nice place to warm feet and hands after the cold parade.
Stonebraker drew some fans of her own to the event.
"We liked it," said Derrick Walls, a friend of Stonebraker who came into town for the parade. "We thought it was pretty well done."
Debbie Walls agreed.
"The kids liked it and that's what's important," She said. "We hope to come back next year, and we hope Melissa gets to put it on next year."