Fort Fairfield is gearing up for its third annual holiday light parade and community celebration on Saturday, Dec. 14.
The parade will start at 4:30 p.m. and travel Main Street from the intersection with Forest Avenue to the traffic light at Presque Isle Street.
The parade has not only celebrated the holidays, but brought people together as the town has seen difficult times, Fort Fairfield Police Chief Matthew Cummings said. The police department and the town’s Quality of Place Council and Parks and Recreation Department combine to make it a day of festivities where people can support their community.
“We started this in 2022. The town was just on the heels of some really ugly financial situations and everybody was kind of glum,” Cummings said. “I thought, we really need to do something to lift spirits here in town.”
So Cummings brought the idea of a parade to then-Interim Town Manager Dan Foster, who was all for it.
There were quite a few entries that first year, but last year it grew even bigger with about 40 vehicles and some walking groups, and spectators packed Main Street, he said. So far this year, 27 entries are on tap, many with multiple vehicles.
Saturday’s events will start at 10 a.m. with the recreation department’s holiday craft fair at the community center, which goes until 7:30 p.m.
Parade lineup will start at 3 p.m., and throughout the parade activities Dave Deschesne will play Christmas music at the bandstand, Cummings said.
A food drive will be led by the National Honor Society and JMG from Fort Fairfield High School. The groups will have a school bus in the parade and invite people to bring non-perishable items. All contributions will go to the town’s Basket of Blessings Food Pantry.
After the parade a community-wide celebration will follow at the community center, where kids can visit with Santa, families can share hot cocoa and cookies, baked by volunteers, and a live band will entertain the crowd.
Santa visits and photos will take place in the adjacent city council chambers, Cummings said.
The event has been popular with residents, and some have said it’s even better than the summer Potato Blossom Festival parade, the chief said.
For information or to sign up for the parade, contact the police department or visit the Quality of Place Council or recreation department on Facebook.
“Hopefully, this can bring joy to people,” he said. “It’s a really good event and I’m pretty excited.”
