AUBURN – The Auburn Chamber of Commerce honored treasured holiday traditions with its Hometown Christmas, but its first lighted Christmas parade is counted among its brightest ideas.

There were thousands of lights on 25 entries for the parade down Courthouse Avenue, including the Chamber of Commerce float featuring Christmas music and Santa and Mrs. Claus. Santa is preparing for his 2024th round-the-world journey but still made time to light the community Christmas tree on Thursday and sprinkled joyous light over the parade.

 Bernard Real Estate float

Float winners Lacy Gerdes and Jody Adams of Bernard Real Estate said their entry was inspired by Lacy’s little house and the Home for the Holiday’s theme.

Gerdes: “It was a lot of fun and there’s a lot of really fun floats that was important. There were a lot of people that watched. I think that’s great.”

 

Judges selected the Farmer’s Wife  for second place and Airstream with the lighted reindeers and sleigh on top of a van was third.

The parade concluded a weekend of activities including the community Christmas tree lighting that featured hot cocoa and carolers. The holiday market was at the senior center and there  were hayrack rides. Living nativity and story time with Mrs. Claus on Saturday.

 

 

The Auburn Chamber of Commerce hopes the parade will become a new tradition for the city’s keep the cheer campaign and Adams says there may be some new strategies for next year.

Adams: “We lost the walkers we had. Two of our agents were handing out lighted rings to the kids and we kind of lost them in the parade. But Theresa Nichols and Tammy Hoover were handing out lighted rings for the little kids, so next year I guess we just need to slow down so we can keep everybody all together. I hope everybody will enter next year and we’ll have an even bigger parade.”

 

 

The parade also benefited from unseasonably high temperatures in the upper 50s.