With the rain holding off and the temperatures hovering near 50 degrees, a large crowd to downtown Perry Friday night for the annual Holiday Lighted Parade.
Parade entrants gathered near Second Street and Otley Avenue and traveled north on Third Street before turning west for a block on Pattee Street. The caravan then journeyed southward along Second Street and back to Otley Avenue before disbanding.
Vehicles from the Perry Volunteer Fire Department led the way, with several other businesses, churches and private organizations entering floats or vehicles and creating a line that required about 15 minutes to pass by.
The Perry High School junior class hosted a s’mores fundraiser in the Josh Davis Memorial Plaza, toasting the treats over open flames. The Perry Perk coffeehouse served hot chocolate, and a pancake supper was available at the Hotel Pattee.
Festivities continued after the parade at the Carnegie Library Museum, the Hotel Pattee, La Poste LLC and several downtown merchants, all festively decorated for the occasion. Santa Claus greeted youngsters at La Poste LLC, where a table was also provided with materials and a special mail box in which to send letters to Santa’s workshop at the North Pole.
Community carolers filled the air with familiar holiday songs, and the Perry Select Choir perfomed later in the evening at the hotel, followed by Genevieve Michele Walczyk, the one-woman symphony, who played seasonal favorites.
