3 more lighted parades this holiday season in Orleans County

Photos by Tom Rivers: Air Raising Events owner Sheryl Watts created a snowman out of balloons last year for Albion’s “Santa’s Hometown Parade” on Dec. 9. The participants in the parade gathered at the Arnold Gregory parking lot on South Main Street before heading downtown. This year the route starts and ends at Dubby’s.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 November 2023 at 9:31 am

Medina’s big Parade of Lights on Saturday, with 55 lighted floats and 16 other participants including fire trucks and marching bands, started a holiday parade season in Orleans County.

There are three more lighted parades in December – one in Clarendon on Dec. 8 and then parades Dec. 9 in Albion and Barre.

Clarendon will have a Christmas parade that starts at 7 p.m. at the Clarendon fire hall on Route 31A and goes to the Clarendon Historical Society. The route goes down 31A, then a right turn onto Route 237, a left on Church Street to the Historical Society.

There will be refreshments and a visit from Santa at the Historical Society. People are welcome to bring a bulb to decorate the tree. Parade participants can just show up at the fire hall, no RSVP is needed.

Mike Van Lieshout leads off the Barre Tractor Parade last year on Dec. 10 with a sign proclaiming “A Barre Merry Christmas To All.” The parade started at Van Lieshout’s farm on East Barre Road and then headed north on Route 98 to the Barre Town Park.

Barre will have its tractor parade at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 9. Last year there were about 20 tractors and farm trucks decorated in lights.

Tractors line up on East Barre Road by 5:15. The route goes north on Route 98 to the Barre Town Park. The event organized by the Barre Betterment Committee.  A rain date is set for Dec. 10. For more information call (585) 590-7503 or send a message through the Betterment Committee’s Facebook page.

Albion will have “Santa’s Hometown Parade” at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 9. The parade has different route this year. It starts at Dubby’s Tailgate on Platt Strett, goes to East Avenue and then north on Main Street. Then it turns on Bank Street and comes back to Dubby’s on Platt Street.

The parade is sponsored by the Albion Merchants Association and Village of Albion. There are prizes for the top three floats: $300 for first, $200 for second and $100 for first.

So far, 13 entries have signed up to be in the parade, said Susan Oschmann, parade coordinator. The deadline to sign up is noon on Dec. 8. Click here for a Google sign up form or email Oschmann at susanoschmann@gmail.com for more information.