CATSKILL — The 14th annual Parade of Lights will go on this Friday despite the ongoing pandemic.
The lineup for the parade, sponsored by the Catskill Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary, will start at 6 p.m. on Water Street. The parade will begin at 7 p.m., traveling down Main Street, over the Uncle Sam Bridge and ending at Broome Street.
“With everything that’s been going on, we thought that the Parade of Lights would lift everyone’s spirits,” parade organizer Pam Wright said. “The parade is something we’ve done for a long time and the company loves doing it. It’s something that we can do to bring some cheer to the season.”
The parade will consist of 41 different units, Wright said. Santa Claus will be in attendance and wrapped candies will be tossed to children from the floats and other vehicles.
“We are encouraging everyone to wear a mask and practice social distancing,” Wright said. “We set the route up so that people can social distance better and parade participants can be picked up at the high school at the end.”
This year there will be no formal tree lighting, but the village Christmas tree is lighted and ready for the holiday season.
Wright said the parade idea originated with her father, Richie Overbaugh, who was a firefighter for 50 years.
“My father saw a boat parade of lights when he was visiting Key West years ago and said, ‘We can do that with the fire company,’” she said. “So we did.”
The first parade consisted of 16 units, Wright said.
Following the parade, Joe’s Garage, on Main Street, will host an event featuring picture-taking with Santa.
“We’re going to open the large double doors facing Main Street and seat Santa there,” Joe’s Garage co-owner Mike Moy said. “Santa will be seated 6 feet from the sidewalk and separated by a velvet rope so people can take pictures with him.”
There will be a red carpet on the sidewalk leading up to Santa to allow for social distancing, Moy said.
“We ask also that people wear masks,” he said.
Cairo will hold its light parade Nov. 28 and Coxsackie plans to hold its light parade Dec. 4.
Other early-winter events have been scrapped or modified by the pandemic.
The Athens Victorian Stroll and Christmas by the River in Coxsackie have been canceled. Winter Walk in Hudson will be spread out over the month of December instead of falling on one day, beginning Dec. 5 and ending Dec. 24.
Some holiday cheer will be found.
Residents in Catskill or Athens can participate in the Fortnightly Club of Catskill’s Making Spirits Bright contest or the annual Athens Holiday House Decorating Contest.