Murphy The annual Christmas parade rolled through downtown Saturday night, with many excited onlookers and cheers from both the young and young at heart.
The day’s previous arts and craft events were hampered by rain, causing crowds to be meager. However, the weather cleared up toward the early evening, allowing for a festive close to the day.
Downtown streets were lined with locals and visitors alike to view the numerous floats decorated with Christmas lights and adorned with folks in costumes. Mayor Tim Radford’s vehicle led the parade, and both Santa and the Grinch also entertained parade-goers.
Numerous businesses and organizations participated in the parade, including fire trucks from different departments with their lights and sirens, various churches, hot rod and classic vehicles, schools, rehabilitation and funeral homes. High school homecoming courts made their way down the parade route, with young ladies dressed in beautiful and sparkling gowns.
There were sweets being tossed into the crowds and chants for more candy could be heard throughout the streets. Some kids were getting their faces painted by Grace’s Painted Faces, and folks were lining up to buy a bag of kettlecorn.
Whitney Tanner was out with her two small children.
“We’re excited,” she said, “and the kids love all the lights.”
Ryan Trow’s son is with the Ranger Fire Department and riding on a truck in the parade.
“There’s a lot of people out here and it’s not raining, so that’s really good,” he said after driving over from Blue Ridge, Ga.
The parade was a colorful display of Christmas spirit, and everyone appeared to be interacting and joyful. There were even wooden camels moving along the parade route, beckoning folks to follow them to Bethlehem.
“It’s a huge blessing that the weather has held off, and we’re able to come out and enjoy it as a family,” said Teresa Ricks of Marble.
When all was said and done, it was evident that the local parade was a success. One child, Colt Murphy, summed up the results of all the hard work that went in to it with two simple words:
“I’m happy.”