By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
The Hitchins Christmas Parade isn’t really like any other community holiday events.
“In a half-hour, you’ll never know it was here,” said Mark Miller as the fifth-annual Hitchins Christmas Parade wrapped up on Saturday.
Miller, along with Hitchins Volunteer Fire Department Chief Greg Shaffer, were among those who brainstormed the first Christmas parade, back in 2016.
Shaffer, who helps the community get a permit to close SR 773 for the event each year, explained there wasn’t much planning for the initial parade beyond getting the permit. They conceived of the idea while hanging out at the Hitchins Post and decided to see if anyone else was interested.
There was no sign-up list. No approval process. No committees or planning.
“We just started asking people to make a float,” Shaffer explained, and they did.
Since then, he said, it’s grown a little bit every year (with the exception of last year when COVID concerns led to a cancellation). But the spirit of that first parade has been maintained throughout. Folks who want to participate simply show up with their vehicle, or their float, and they line up in the order they show. They don’t have to do anything more than that.
“The only rule is that there are no rules,” Miller said. There is one unofficial rule; they encourage folks to avoid politics in their floats and displays, though candidates for political office are allowed to participate in the parade if they like.
Other than that, the parade is a bit of directed chaos – in the best possible sense.
“We just show up,” Shaffer said. “Whatever happens is how it goes… and we just have a ball.”
This year the folks who showed up included Pirate Santa and his crew. They joined antique cars, fire engines, businesses, church groups, the Grinch, and others in escorting Grand Marshalls Susie Kouns and Jilda McDavid – and in handing out candy to the kids – as the parade made its way through the community. Kouns and McDavid are both retired teachers, with strong roots in the area. McDavid, in fact, is a legacy. Her mother, Mrs. Kappes, was a previous Grand Marshall and also a retired teacher, Shaffer explained.
It’s truly all about community, and what each individual brings to it, Shaffer noted, right down to the food.
“All the food is free,” Shaffer said, noting the contributions of the Hitchins Wesleyan Church who made hot dogs and hamburgers for the crowd, the Patel family at Hitchins Food Mart who dished out Parthvi Patel’s amazing chicken biryani, and “the Miller boys” who served up soup beans by the cup.
“It’s about giving, and just being good to each other,” Miller said. “And having a good time.”
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
