Holiday Light parade is Saturday

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON, Maine — The twinkle of holiday lights will sparkle through the Shiretown Saturday as the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Holiday Light Parade.   The parade is a tradition that has gone on for longer than most can remember, but has evolved over time. What was once a mid-afternoon parade, heralding the arrival of Santa Claus to the downtown has changed to a nighttime holiday light parade, in which entrants are encouraged to come up with interesting, eye-catching floats using generators to power the thousands of lights adorning their entry.
This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World,” with entries encouraged to showcase how Christmas may be celebrated in different parts of the world.
Starting at 6 p.m., the parade begins in the Houlton Shopping Plaza on the North Road and continues down North Street to Market Square. A tree-lighting ceremony will take place at the town Christmas tree in Market Square. After the tree is lit, the parade will continue to the Chamber of Commerce, where an area will be set up for local children to sit on Santa’s lap and have a photo taken. The remaining floats will continue to the Gentle Memorial Building parking lot.
The Houlton Pioneer Times will have “Santa’s Mailbox” on hand for children to drop off their letters. Light refreshments will be available.
Again this year, elves have been 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 popular yuletide event typically draws a large crowd to Houlton’s downtown business district. About 3,000 individuals line the streets to watch the parade.
The following rules apply to those who wish to enter floats:
• Commercial entries will be limited to one car or truck, which must be significantly decorated with lights. Vehicles towing floats are excluded from this limitation.
• Oversized (not street legal) vehicles must have an adult walking by each wheel.
• Walking participants may hand out items to spectators, but throwing items such as candy into the street or crowd is expressly prohibited.
There is no cost to register a float. Those who have not pre-registered may still show up on the night of the parade, but are asked to come by 5:30 p.m. to check-in. For more information, call the chamber at 532-4961.