PLANNING UNDER WAY FOR ANNUAL PARADE OF LIGHTS

Kent Zickfield remembers the first Downtown Christmas Parade of Lights.

"I was skeptical," said the downtown jeweler. "When Doc, (Dennis "Doc" Cain, first chairman for the event) suggested the lights parade, I just wasn't sure people would accept it."

Zickfield said he became a believer the second year.

"I remember the first year when parade units didn't reach the Capaha baseball field," said Zickfield. A year later, it went past the diamond, and for the past few years, it has lined up in two lines, past the diamond and around the circle on Cherry Hill.

Parade units have reach the 100-mark the past three years, and crowds have ranged from 6,000 to 15,000.

"It's amazing," said Zickfield, who will be chairman of this year's event, the parade's seventh year. "It's getting bigger and better. People are adding to their floats each year.

"It's just awesome, and the themes they come up with are so unique," said Zickfield. "You can tell a lot of planning and hard work goes into the entries."

Planning is already under way for the 1999 Christmas Parade of Lights, to be held Sunday, Nov. 28. More than 100 floats are expected.

"We already have more than 50 entries," said Zickfield.

The largest parade so far was the 1997 event, which started a week and a few minutes late.

First off, the parade was postponed because of inclement weather.

Before it really got under way a week later, it was delayed again, this time by a Mustang convertible carrying the parade marshal, which had to make a quick stop for gasoline.

A total of 120 lighted entries were in the 1997 parade, two more than the next previous high, which came a year later, in 1998.

The parade is sponsored by the Downtown Merchants Association, with corporate sponsor, Zimmer Broadcasting.

The parade started in 1992, as a way to celebrate Christmas while promoting downtown Cape Girardeau.

One of the surprise entries in 1995 was the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales with their eight-horse hitch, representing Anheuser-Busch.

The entries are judged in six categories by a panel of judges.

This year's theme for the parade is "Song of Christmas."

Invitations have been sent to all previous parade entries.

Anyone not receiving an entry should contact Zickfield at 335-5681.