Thousands of people lined the Hopkinsville Christmas parade route Saturday night and saw more than 90 entries — including themed floats, marching bands and decorated vehicles — make the procession through the heart of town.
A few floats had snow machines, including the grand champion Hopkinsville Water Environment Authority entry. Hopkinsville Community College stressed the parade theme, “It’s a Kid’s Christmas,” with its floats and earned second place.
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Music Central won the Spirit Award with a live band playing on its float, and Rooms for Less received the Best Business Float Award.
Hopkinsville Electric System and EnergyNet, the parade sponsor, led the long procession with a huge truck ensconced in lights and playing holiday music from a loudspeaker. A few dozen police, fire and other emergency responder vehicles were not far behind, blasting their sirens and honking horns as many spectators covered their ears for a break from the intense noise.
One — meaning this writer — can only imagine what a lovely sound it would be to have a Christmas parade free of ear-piercing sirens and horns. But props just the same to Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation staff for all the lovely and entertaining parts of the parade they organize (of which there were more than I could count).
Grand marshal Terrence Davis waved to crowds from a float with several children from the Boys and Girls Club of Hopkinsville-Christian County, where he has been the executive director since the summer of 2013.
The green, furry Grinch character of Dr. Seuss fame seemed to make several appearances in various vehicles and floats. At one point he leaped from the back of a tiny ambulance and was chased by other parade characters for a block near Ferrell’s. He also rode atop a dune buggy and entertained spectators with numerous grinchy poses.
It was hard to say how many Grinches were present. Some may have jumped in and out of a number of parade spots. But unlike sirens, one can never have too many Grinches in a Christmas parade.
Not to be forgotten amid the secular icons, baby Jesus appeared in a few nativity scenes. Over and over, parade participants yelled, “Merry Christmas!” to people standing four and five deep on sidewalks.
Hometown celebrity Steve Paige — who holds a certain status in Hopkinsville as Birddog, the man with the bark but no bite — rode in the back of a convertible and yapped for the crowd block by block.
Delayed two hours because of the threat of afternoon rain, the parade started at 7:15 p.m. and proceeded without any precipitation — with the exception of machine-produced snow that prettied up the scene for the live audience and for a ton of cell phone pictures being shared even now on social media.
Merry Christmas, y’all.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
