Amping Up Holiday Spirits, Alachua Parade Delights

ALACHUA ‒ The holiday season is in full swing in Alachua. Dec. 10 marked the 38^th year the Alachua Chamber of Commerce has hosted the annual Christmas Parade on downtown Main Street. Each year local businesses, the City of Alachua, civic groups and churches sponsor floats to entertain onlookers.

This past Saturday, children anxiously awaited the parade for a chance to see Santa Claus and collect sweet treats tossed from decorated floats or handed out by people walking alongside.

The parade traditionally starts with motorcycle patrolmen leading the procession, complete with flashing lights and wailing sirens, as they clear the way for parade participants. Next come the police cars from Alachua and High Springs and then a flag color guard of three Marine veterans. Another member of the Marine Corps League of Veterans followed in a World War II army jeep.

The City of Alachua sponsored float was decorated with a Frosty the Snowman. City Commissioners, stationed at the rear of the float, waved at the crowd while City Manager Mike DaRoza walked alongside handing out candy to the children.

The procession included floats and decorated vehicles from the All Stars Twirling Academy, Santa Fe Babe Ruth baseball team, the Santa Fe High School marching, Matchmaker Realty, Capitol City Bank, William Thomas Funeral Home, Gainesville Raceway, Boy Scout Troop 88, the Girl Scouts and the High Springs Gift Shop Plus. The 4-H club had both a float and riders on decorated horses.

A comical float was the Retirement Home for Horses, which provides a home for older horses that are retired from their former working activities. On their float, multiple people wore costume horse heads while imitating typical retirement activities like golf, bingo, fishing and beauty shop visits, while others wearing the horse heads walked the parade route using wheeled walkers.

Another group that always enters a large and colorful float is the Hare Krisna who chanted a song for peace as they walked down the street.

Decorated motorcycles weaved in and out on the street as did the ever present Shriners Club on a variety of vehicles.

While everyone enjoyed the floats and festive mood, the part of the parade the children had been waiting for finally arrived as Santa Claus waved to the children as he rode by on top of a fire truck. Children responded, waving and calling out Santa's name to try and catch his attention. It was an exciting ending to a fun filled hour that brought out hundreds of people to enjoy the parade and the festive atmosphere.

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