OKEECHOBEE – It rained on their parade, but that didn’t dampen the holiday spirit of the hundreds of Okeechobee County community members who lined Parrott Avenue and State Road 70 for Okeechobee Main Street’s Christmas Parade.

Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office and Okeechobee City Police Department closed the parade route to traffic at 5:30 p.m. The parade started promptly at 6 p.m. As the first few parade units reached the main intersection, the rain started.

Many along the parade route who have experienced rainy Christmas parades in the past pulled out umbrellas and rain ponchos. Others used blankets to keep small children dry. The showers continued, off and on, for more than an hour as lighted vehicles, a marching band and parade floats made their way north from the Aldi parking lot, north on Parrott Avenue and then west on State Road 70 to the end of Flagler Park.

Bringing up the end of the parade, riders on horseback were festooned with holiday lights. Santa arrived on the last parade float, and stopped at the bandstand in Flagler Park to visit with children.

The parade route was a block shorter this year, due to construction on Parrott Avenue.

OKEECHOBEE -- Several entries in the Christmas parade provided their own artificial snow to get get everyone in the holiday mood. [Photo by Katrina Elsken/Lake Okeechobee News]

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