By: Bob Arnold
Wesson's annual Christmas parade rolled last week (Friday, December 6) for the 52nd year, with Santa again returning to town as a highlight of the event framed thematically as “Christmas through the Eyes of a Child.”
Santa on his sleigh and others tossed candy to bystanders lining the sides of Highway 51, who also came to see the bands playing holiday music, high school and college beauties and local dignitaries riding in convertibles and on decorated floats reflecting the creativity of organizations and businesses, along with the jolly gift-giver from the North Pole. – all helping them prepare to celebrate this special time of year in Wesson.
Wesson Volunteer Fire Department (WVF), which organizes the parade, worked to create an event that “expresses Christmas as wondrous, amazing and magical,” according to WVF Chief Ken Carroway.
Parade participants lined up at 3:30 p.m. at Grace Foam Solutions (the old Sunflower store), and they started marching at 4 p.m. led by Grand Marshall Nena Smith, honored as she began her retirement after 50 years teaching students at Nena Smith School of Dance.
“Along the parade route, hot chocolate was available on the cool evening, and punch and cookies, too,” Carroway said.
The parade proceeded south to the Highway 51 stoplight and reversed direction northward, with trucks and vehicles from Copiah and Lincoln County volunteer fire departments and the Wesson Police and Copiah County Sheriff Departments at the front and Santa Claus in the rear as the climax for whom everybody -- particularly the kids -- were waiting.
In between were the Wesson High School and Co-Lin bands, interspersed with cars and other vehicles carrying, among others, the Founders Day Queen, members of Wesson High School and Co-Lin homecoming courts and beauties and beaus from kindergarten through college freshmen and sophomore classes chosen in pageants at Wesson Attendance Center and Co-Lin; along with floats of varied commercial, faith, civic, service and social organizations carrying their workers, volunteers and members, many with children from the community on board as well -- the little ones who are readily awed by Christmas magic.
The floats were numerous this year, including those built by the American Legion, the Wesson Junior/High School Beta Club, Butterbeans Wesson Garden Club youth organization, Copiah County government, Fastpace Healthcare and Mossy Oak Properties, among others.
Then there were the cheerleaders who danced to the music and fired up the Christmas spirit, along with the Co-Lin Wolf mascot, Collette dancers, and students from Nena Smith Studio.
Following the parade, Santa Claus brought a bag of goodies to the Wesson Volunteer Fire Department, where he met with children and punch and cookies were served.
Friends of the Library also hosted an open house at Wesson Public Library, where Mrs. Santa Claus read stories to children and they could catch a train operated by the Brookhaven Exchange Club to ride around the decorated town.
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