Crowds brave cold for Cape's 20th annual Parade of Lights

The damp, chilly air didn't dampen the holiday spirits of those lining the streets of downtown Sunday night for the 20th annual Old Town Cape Parade of Lights.

Bundled in blankets, people said the secret to staying warm despite temperatures in the 30s was lots of layers.

"We just bring double, multiple coats," said 7-year-old Charli Jo Sparks of Daisy.

Sherri Sparks, her mother, said she's been coming to the Parade of Lights every year since it started.

"It's just a tradition for us," she said. "My husband even took comp time from work to be here. It's just something we can all do together."

Sparks came with about a dozen friends, all members of Daisy Methodist Church, who come to the parade together each year to kick off the Christmas season.

While the Sparks family has been coming to the parade for years and years, this was the first year the THRIVE organization took part in the Parade of Lights.

Donna Bullard said nearly 20 students from Jackson's high school, middle school and junior high in THRIVE worked together to create their parade float.

Julia and Kate Mirgaux, ages 8 and 7, were also in the parade for the first time this year. They rode on the Saint Francis Medical Center float, singing popular Christmas songs such as "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

The girls' favorite float, and also the Chairman's Pick, was a Smurf-themed float by Anderson Broadcasting.

Many floats made the most of this year's theme, "A Picture Perfect Christmas," by featuring lots of lighted picture frames.

"Every year, people get real creative. Depending on what the theme is, what their resources are, how many employees they have and how much time they have.

This year, they were all creative and fun and festive," said Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape.

After a few entries dropped out due to the weather, there were about 85 participants by parade time, Mills said.

"It's an opportunity for people to be in the downtown in a really fun and festive environment and to enjoy the downtown in a way that they don't otherwise," she said.

Hosting the Parade of Lights helps bond both the participants and the spectators with the downtown area, Mills said.

"A lot of the people that are in it are not downtown businesses, so it's a good way for them to engage in being part of the downtown even though they are not necessarily from the downtown," she said. "It makes people feel good about being downtown and hopefully, they'll want to come back."

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO