Thousands of points of light

From his front porch on North West End Boulevard Mike Sheehan can see the floats as they assemble for the annual Parade of Lights sponsored by the Downtown Merchants Association.

And the chaos and limited parking on the afternoon of the parade is well worth it for him and his family.

"I get a first look at all of them," he said. "It's one of the benefits of living here."

Sheehan and his family gathered at his home to watch the parade, occasionally moving to the corner to get a better look as the floats passed by.

The gathering was one of many lined up on Broadway from Capaha Park to Main Street as hundreds came to watch the 10th annual parade.

The parade theme was "A Country Christmas." All entries had to be lit in some capacity and had to have a Christmas decoration to be considered for judging. There were about 125 floats in the parade this year, which is about average, said Kent Zickfield, parade chairman.

Down the street from the park, a group of Harley-Davidson owners gathered around a portable fireplace to keep warm. The group came to support their friends who rode in the Harley Owners Group during the parade.

"We come to cheer them on each year," said Kathy Barks as she burrowed into the collar of her coat to brace against the wind.

Chilly air and a brisk wind reminded those who attended that Christmas and winter are on the way. But then so did the floats.

Nearly every float was emblazoned with posterboard that read "Merry Christmas." And even more were playing holiday music as they passed. Judges even created a special category award for float entries that focused on music instead of decorations.

Best guesses

Though all the floats are lit -- and even the marching bands wear strands of lights -- no one really knows how many lights are used in the parade.

Thousands rank up highest in the guesses, but an exact count is not taken.

"I know it would number in the thousands, because they just keep adding to the floats," Zickfield said. "More and more are lit up, and it's unbelievable to look at them when they are all pulling out of the park."

Jack Conklin estimated there were 50 strands of lights on the float for the Carpenter's Local 1770, and about one-third were new this year because others were either being used at the Cape Girardeau County Park display or had burned out.

Larry Mantz guessed there were close to 4,000 lights on the float for Mid-South Steel, but he knew there were another 8,000 lights leftover from years past.

"We've been doing this for three years," he said, and all the light strands get tested before they make it to the float.

Church groups, school bands, businesses and medical offices all had a presence among the floats, which gathered at the park around 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

But the favorite for Samantha Adams, Blake Hicks, Jessica Roberts and Andre Roberts was one that depicted a snowman styling another snowman's hair. The float looked like it took a lot of work, the children said.

Some of them "look like they just started," Andre Roberts said.

And while the floats take work, so does organizing the parade. Each year it seems to grow in popularity, Zickfield said.

"And that's what it's all about, just to celebrate and have a wonderful time," he said.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126