Season of lights

Thanksgiving is the holiday that signals the start of the Christmas shopping season, and it marks the observance of many other holiday traditions in our area.

At 5 p.m. today, the Old Town Cape Girardeau Parade of Lights will make its way from West End Boulevard along Broadway to Main Street and east to the front of Hutson Furniture, where the store's animated window display, a longtime tradition, will delight hundreds of visitors during the holiday season. This year's sponsors of the Parade of Lights are Broadway Prescription Shop, Bella Italia, Rhodes 101 Convenience Stores and Drury Southwest Inc.

There are two other special displays that feature holiday lights that merit special mention.

The first is the annual Lights Display at Cape Girardeau County Park North. This amazing drive-through glittering wonderland has grown from its 11-display beginning in 1987 to become a spectacular visual feast. The Light Display is a cooperative effort of the Cape Girardeau County Park Board, the Cape Girardeau County Commission and the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri.

In Jackson, next Saturday will kick off the Lights of the Season display at Jackson City Park. This also is a drive-through feast for the eyes that is part of our holiday traditions.