Festival of Lights to host night parade, park decorations

By Janet Jacobs

Daily Sun

Volunteers with the Festival of Lights are going to host the Corsicana Christmas parade and the lights in Community Park this year, according to both the city and Festival representatives.

Last week, Dennis Thornberg said he could no longer do the Festival of Lights in Community Park because of city budget cuts, and on Monday he turned the Christmas parade over to the city to run. Thornberg explained that he has put his own money into the park project for the last two years, and was unable to continue that trend. On Tuesday, Ann Massey said the group wanted the parade back, and she met with the city manager Wednesday.

The result is that the city has turned the parade back to the group, and the group is going ahead with the park light display, too.

“One thing that came out of it is we found out how much it was appreciated,” Thornberg said Thursday. “In the process, I picked up a lot of help, so things are looking good.”

The park project was revived when rescuers came forward, Thornberg said.

“We’ve got some money coming in, or pledges of money coming in, and we’re going to have a lot of volunteer labor, so that will save on labor costs,” he said.

One obstacle to the park displays is the electrical supply, which has been a source of consternation in recent years for groups like Relay for Life.

“Most of the plugs, the outlets on the trees, a lot of them didn’t work, they couldn’t handle the capacity,” said Jamie Kitchens, Relay organizer. “They really need a lot of work, and they have for a couple of years.”

Thornberg said they’d fix the problems before the lights are turned on.

“Every year we have an electrician come and check out all the sockets anyway,” he said. “That’s just standard procedure for us.”

Susan Bruce has been fielding phone calls since Monday about the issue, and everyone has the same goal, she said.

“We want to see Christmas,” she said.

The city’s initial plans for the parade were to change it to a daytime parade, and use it to help promote downtown businesses, which had mixed reactions.

“I like the night because the lights show up better,” said Wayne Owen of Owen Hardware and Paint.

Having festivities downtown does increase traffic, but it doesn’t necessarily boost business, he said.

Many other downtown business owners welcomed the idea of a daytime parade, and were supportive of the move to combine it with other events, such as the Winter Farmers Market.

City parks director Sharla Allen said feedback from the community was positive and quick.

“I want to thank the ones who came to the forefront to assist us,” Allen said. “We had numerous calls of support as well as excitement for the daytime parade idea.”

Allen also expressed gratitude to the anonymous donor who is helping make the Festival of Lights event at Community Park a reality.

For roughly 35 years, the Jaycees organized the annual Christmas parades in downtown Corsicana. The parades have always featured floats and fancy cars, marching bands and dignitaries, but the times and days have changed to meet demand from Monday nights to Saturday mornings to Saturday evenings.

In the 1970s, the parades were on Monday evenings, and often starred such luminaries as the Owens Country Sausage wagon pulled by Belgian horses. In the 1980s, the parades were on Saturday mornings, and famous people and athletes were invited to be grand marshals. Bobby Fluker recalled Ted Hinton, the last of the officers who killed Bonnie and Clyde, was one of the guests back then.

On Dec. 12, 1987, the Jaycees Christmas Texas Style parade was conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday, according to Daily Sun reports. That year, one of the Corsicana Emergency Corps trucks stalled on Beaton and caught fire, and the volunteer fire trucks right behind it extinguished the flames.

That next year, 1988, saw the first Festival of Lights event, organized by the Rev. Erwin “Bummy” Bohmfalk. In its early years, the Festival of Lights was a way to encourage individuals and merchants to decorate. The organizers passed out prizes to the winners, and sponsored a large Christmas tree in Allyn Park. The purpose “was to make Corsicana the best-decorated city of its size in Texas,” according to a 1988 article. The Jaycees moved the Christmas parade to the evening to make it possible for people to attend the parade and then the tree-lighting ceremony.

In the mid-1990s, the Jaycees turned the parade over to the Festival of Lights committee, and the Festival of Lights group branched off from the Rotary Club to become its own organization. Over the next 10 year, the Festival of Lights changed its focus to creating a holiday in the park in Community Park. In addition to lighted reindeer and trees, the decorations also include wooden displays, both secular and religious.

Thornberg said the park displays will continue into the future.

“Eventually, I’ll have to retire, but I think I’ve found some people willing to step up and take over,” he said.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “Sound Off” on this story? E-mail: soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com.