Revelers brave cold for Scott City parade

The chilly temperatures didn't stop 10-year-old Lindsey Hosey from standing along Main Street during Scott City's annual Christmas parade to collect candy on Sunday.

Her parents, Stephanie and Tim, and sister, Tori, 13, were bundled up in blankets sitting in chairs, at the Miller Drywall Inc. parking lot.

"We let her get the candy for us and then she'll share it with us when we get home," Stephanie Hosey said.

But Lindsey, with a bucket full of candy, disagreed after the 15-minute parade was over.

"I'm not sharing it, you guys sat there the whole time," Lindsey told her family.

The parade, which began in the parking lot of Bob's Foodliner, ran east down Main Street to Ruth Street and ended at the city pool. About 20 floats from local organizations and businesses participated in the fourth annual parade.

Scott City parks and recreation director and co-chairwoman of the parade, Phyllis Crump, said even though a couple of organizations backed out at the last minute, Sunday's parade had the most participation than in previous years.

A Scott County sheriff's department car was at the head of the parade; the driver threw Lindsey a plastic sheriff's badge.

"Now I'm official," Lindsey said as she held up the badge to her family.

As the Scott City High School marching band walked down the road, cold weather prevented most students from playing their instruments. The drummers beat their snares and bass drums and a lonely trumpeter played his horn, the rest of the students were trying to keep up with the fire trucks they were following.

Tiger Cubs, wearing Santa Claus hats, threw peppermints from the back of a pickup truck. Children dressed in wrapped present boxes and snowman suits walked down Main Street.

"The tip of my nose is frozen and other than not being able to feel my legs, I'm doing all right," a parade walker shouted to the Hosey family.

Stephanie Hosey said she didn't remember it being as cold in years past.

This was the first year Scott City held its Christmas parade at dusk instead of during the afternoon.

"We just wanted to do something different this year," Crump said for the reason of the change of time. "We tried to draw more floats in and get a bigger crowd, and I think we did."

At the successful turnout of Sunday's parade, Crump said it will likely be held at dusk next year.

"It went over pretty smoothly and we were pleased with the turnout," Crump said.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 131