Santa heralds holiday season in Harmony

By: Preston Spencer | Statesville Record & Landmark
Published: December 05, 2011

Harmony residents broke from their normal routines Sunday to line the streets and cheer on slow-moving floats, antique cars and Santa Claus during the town’s annual Christmas parade.

From beauty queens to football teams, the pride of the town and surrounding communities was on display. Firemen and emergency responders brought the sights and sounds of fire trucks and ambulances to the celebration and the children lining the route.

“It kind of starts the Christmas season,” Candice Watson said. “We come every year.”

Watson brought her two young daughters, Hayleigh and Kirsten, to the parade. The pair gathered candy tossed from float-riders and watched rather calmly while Santa rode past atop a fire truck, but stood transfixed by what came next.

“Is that the horses?” Kirsten asked her mother. “I want to ride Secretariat.”

While Santa may traditionally represent the highlight of most Christmas parades, there was no beating the dozens of horses decorated with bells and wreaths that closed the parade for Hayleigh and Kirsten.

“I don’t know,” Hayleigh said of what fascinated her about the horses. “I just like animals.”

The parade was a spirited affair. Shouts of “Merry Christmas” echoed back-and-forth between cars and spectators all afternoon. Floats serenaded the crowd with carols and candy was tossed freely. One crowd favorite was a man on an old, wooden flatbed truck pretending to enjoy the parade with a bottle of moonshine.

Harmony resident Jody Turner said he thought it was important for the town to continue the tradition of the parade. He had heard about it in years past, but made his first trip this year and said it was well worth it.

“It was bigger than I thought it would be,” Turner said, adding that the parade was a great family event. “I brought my family, my kids, my wife. I’ve got more family back up behind me.”

There were floats from the Boy Scouts, cheer teams, football teams, soccer teams, bands and multiple organizations from the community. Dozens of decades-old cars took up much of the parade’s line-up. A large group of motorcycles was nestled in the middle of the procession.

Santa heralds holiday season in Harmony

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