Community comes together to celebrate woman’s 93rd birthday
A car is decorated to help celebrate Louise Hickman’s birthday.
Louise Hickman watches as community members parade past her house in honor of her 93rd birthday.
Vehicles line up for a chance to help Louise Hickman celebrate her 93rd birthday.
A tractor pulls some people who were celebrating Louise Hickman’s 93rd birthday.
Birthdays haven’t stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But because of social gathering restrictions, traditional birthday celebrations have been sidelined.
So residents of Prosperity gathered Tuesday to hold a birthday parade for Louise Hickman, who turned 93.
More than 60 cars, trucks, tractors, all-terrain vehicles and firetrucks filled with family and friends participated in the parade, which started at Upper Ten Mile Presbyterian Church and passed Hickman’s home.
“I was really surprised. It was a shock,” said Hickman, who sat in her driveway and waved as the vehicles – many decorated with signs and honking horns – drove by.
Hickman is a member of Upper Ten Mile Church. She volunteers at the Prosperity Fish Fry and participates in the Missionary and Homemakers groups.
Hickman is the mother of four daughters, four granddaughters and six great-grandchildren, and is expecting her seventh.
Eric Cowden, the organist at Upper Ten Mile Church and parade organizer, said the parade boosted the community spirit of residents, too.
Hickman agreed.
“It was good, especially with the way things have been with church and other social events being canceled, and you can’t see people. It kind of livened up the town and brought the community together,” said Hickman. “Everybody got to see each other, from a social distance. It was a good thing.”