OPENING THE SEASON — In the photo at left, Santa's sleigh appears ready to take off during the annual Sparta Christmas Parade. In the photo above, members of the Alleghany High School Trojan Pride Marching Band entertain the crowd. Both attendance and participation appeared to be increased at this year's event, which was held last Saturday.

Sparta parade fills downtown streets

The annual Sparta Christmas Parade was a big hit this year, despite cold temperatures and gusty winds.

"It was pretty windy and the wind was a problem for some of the entries because the signs and decorations kept blowing off," said SRC President and parade organizer Sandy Rost. "So we really appreciate all of those who came out to participate in the parade and those who came out to watch it in spite of the wind.

"Everyone had a great time," said Rost. "We had some new entries who hadn't been there before and some of our old friends came back. We had lots of beautifully decorated homemade floats and lots of children in the parade, which was great."

One problem noted by organizers was limited parking at the Sparta Elementary School, the traditional parade starting point. "What I think we are going to try to do is ask people to gather somewhere away from the school and carpool it over to the staging area," said Rost. "We could not get the entries parked the way we wanted to and we couldn't get them all to come out the way we wanted them to. It was a dilemma."

Rost said the SRC is open to suggestions. Those wishing to help with the next parade, planned for July 4, can call her at 372-8062.

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