RAIN ON THE PARADE: WEATHER DROWNS HOLIDAY SPIRIT

The weather outside was frightful, so organizers of the fifth annual Christmas Parade of Lights postponed Sunday's big yuletide event until next weekend when they hope the clouds will be more cooperative and spirits less dampened by the outside conditions.

With rain falling steadily and no immediate end to the precipitation in sight, Doc Cain, member of the Downtown Merchants Association and parade chairman, informed parade participants that the festivities would be rescheduled for next Sunday evening.

The rain, which began lightly Sunday morning, increased steadily as the day wore on.

By noon, only .01 inches had fallen in Cape Girardeau in the preceding six hours, according to figures from the National Weather Service. But between noon and 5 p.m. -- the scheduled starting time for the parade -- more than an inch of additional rain fell, causing large puddles of water to form on street corners along the parade route.

Christine Rossel, office manager of Port Cape Girardeau restaurant and one of the primary organizers of the parade, said that a decision to postpone the event was reached between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. when the rain was at its heaviest. Nearly half an inch fell in that one hour alone.

The decision to postpone the parade was made, in part, to keep the floats intact and the spectators, participants and animals in the parade dry, Rossel said.

But many of the parade participants had already brought their floats to Capaha Park and were getting ready by the time the decision was announced. Members of the Abundant Life Church, who gathered in the relative dryness beneath a picnic shelter, said that they had been at the park since 11 a.m. Their float, which is two-flatbed trailers in length and will hold between 40 and 50 choir members, sat completely exposed in the rain.

They had only begun the float the day before, but pledged, even as they watched their float get drenched, that they would be back for next Sunday's parade.

The safety factor also played an important role in the postponement, Rossel said.

The parade was scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. or as soon as darkness permitted. The participating floats would be illuminated with Christmas lights which would derive their power from on board generators. Organizers were concerned that the generators might not function properly and might be dangerous in the rain, Rossel said.

The postponement marked the first time that the parade had to be rescheduled because of inclement weather since its inception in 1993.

Organizers anticipated the event to be the largest Parade of Lights thus far. About 120 entries were expected to participate, including three marching bands and floats representing many local organizations, several of them making their first appearance in the parade.

The schedule for next week's event will be as it was supposed to be this week, with the parade beginning about 5 p.m. Sunday at Capaha Park. It will continue down Broadway to Main Street where the route turns right and end in front of the Christmas window at Hutson's Furniture.

In addition to the Downtown Merchants Association, sponsors for this year parade are KBSI and Zimmer Broadcasting.