City shines despite rain
Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus wave to the crowd as they rode on the back of the Washington Fire Department’s aerial truck. Crowds endured a constant rain as they lined Main Street in downtown Washington Friday night for the hourlong annual Christmas parade.
Kaylee Stein, 6, left, and Caitlyn Fuller, 8, count the candy thrown to them during the parade Friday. The girls were with their mothers, Gretchen Stein and Daralyn Fuller, both of Washington.
The Washington High School marching band, one of three in the parade Friday, marches past the courthouse in the rain.
One youngster seems to enjoy the rain as people along Main Street in Washington keep dry under umbrellas Friday night.
Washington County Commissioner Harlan Shober decked out with a top hat and candy bag, didn’t let the rain stop him from walking the length of the parade route through Washington Friday night.
A Studio B Dance float with children aboard followed by dancers in pajamas moving along South Main Street in Washington Friday night in the rain.
Tiny dancers from Studio B Dance, dressed in pajamas, move along South Main Street in Washington in the rain Friday night.
It rained on their parade, but a steady drizzle didn’t dampen the holiday spirit of paradegoers at the annual Washington Christmas Parade and Light Up Night.
A smaller-than-usual crowd lined Main Street on a soggy Friday night, but the spectators cheered on the bands, floats, fire trucks and dancers that wound their way along the parade route.
The star of the parade, Santa Claus, arrived in the bucket of the city fire department’s ladder truck.
The damp weather did not bother Lisa Waters of Washington, who attended the parade with her husband, Matt, and eight family members.
“We’re die-hard Christmas parade fans,” said Waters. “We’ve been coming for about 20 years. We don’t miss it. This starts our holiday season. It’s great to see everybody come together for this one night. It’s awesome.”
Ava Bash, 8, whose brother, Eli, 11, marched in the parade with the Washington Rebels baseball team, waved a butterfly light-up wand that her mother, Chalese, purchased at the parade as Ava waited for the high school marching bands – her favorite part of the parade – to come by.
The parade’s grand marshal was Matt Pitzarella, director of corporate communications and public affairs at Range Resources, who lit up the Christmas tree outside Washington County Courthouse.
“Even in the cold and rain, Washington County came together to celebrate the Christmas season. It was a real privilege for me and my family to kick off the festivities before our hometown, and it’s something we’ll never forget,” Pitzarella said.
In all, the parade featured nearly 110 entries – from McGuffey, Trinity and Washington high school bands, area police and fire departments and military units, to dance troupes, Washington & Jefferson College cheerleaders, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, churches and businesses. Christmas lights adorned tubas, drums and flutes, and trucks.
A new unit that quickly became a crowd favorite was the Mason-Dixon Jeep Club and It’s a Jeep Thing, which featured Christmas light-covered Jeeps.
Umbrellas and rain ponchos were the accessories of the night.
Matt Uram, parade chairman and member of Washington Business District Association which sponsored the parade, was happy with the event, despite wet weather.
“It was a very nice night. I think it went very well, and it was a very nice crowd for the weather,” said Uram, who estimated there were 2,000 spectators. “There’s not much you can do about the weather, but the people of Washington come out for us. It’s a great community event.”
The parade, which lasted just over an hour, was held for more than 30 years and grew larger in recent years. It has nearly doubled in size, from 65 units to almost 110 in the past seven years.
Before the parade, paradegoers had a chance to visit the Christmas train display at the Fraternal Order of Eagles at 127 North Main Street (the display will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to p.m. and on Sundays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.) and to shop at the 15 stores along or near Main Street that remained open.
Hot chocolate and cookies were provided by WCBD and Mayr’z Inn and other area businesses and churches.
Kelsey Henry and her cousin, Madison McIntyre, both 7, did away with their umbrellas and stood in the rain, clapping as police cruisers and a SWAT vehicle passed by.
Kelsey’s mother, Dana, stood next to them and held on to an umbrella and light-up Christmas tree wands.
Madison was eager to watch the cheerleaders, while Kelsey said she wanted to see her brother, Jonathan, who was marching in the parade. Both were excited to see Santa Claus.
Mary Lou McCann, 82, braved the weather to watch her great-grandson, Tristan Carney, march in the parade with the Trinity High School JROTC unit.
“I love parades and I love being able to watch my grandchildren and great-grandchildren participate in events,” said McCann of Washington. “My late husband, God bless his soul, said one time that if someone tore up paper and tossed it in the air, I’d enjoy it. This is the best way there is to start the season.”