FORT WORTH, Texas –A glittering line-up of entries from big business to Boy Scout troops make the 27th annual Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights Friday, Nov. 27 a big city event with down-home appeal.
The parade, now a North Texas tradition, features more than 100 illuminated floats, marching bands and riding or strolling groups and draws tens of thousands to downtown Fort Worth each year on the day after Thanksgiving.
Entries in the 27th annual parade represent a slice of North Texas life and come from heavyweights like title sponsor Chesapeake Energy and the Cotton Bowl Classic to nonprofit organizations, school marching bands, car clubs, equestrian teams and special interest groups like the unicycles of Fort Worth Unipsychos and The Wheelie-ing Elvi, all donning lights and regalia to celebrate “Holiday Dreams, Holiday Wishes!”
Grand Marshall Walt Garrison and the world of sports
He made his name as a fullback, but Dallas Cowboy great Walt Garrison will quarterback the 27th annual Parade of Lights as Grand Marshal.
A Denton native, Garrison has always been a cowboy, whether on or off the football field. He competed on the professional rodeo circuit during the off-seasons and was recently named one of the Dallas Cowboys Top 50 players in honor of the franchise’s 50th anniversary season.
His turn as grand marshal is a bonus for football fans coming to cheer the bowl-bound Texas Christian University Horned Frogs or whet an appetite for the Cotton Bowl Classic, which enters a float this year.
Pure fun
The Wheelie-ing Elvi have been a most-watched Parade of Lights entry for more than a decade. Big guys don illuminated jumpsuits, sunglasses and pompadour wigs to climb aboard mini-bikes and make this a precision riding team like no other.
Fort Worth Unipsychos celebrate their 10th year as parade favorites in 2009, but their big wheels roll downtown on a weekly basis. Unicycles are a family affair for members, both children and adults who ride wheels up to 36 inches in diameter on and off the road. After the parade, fans can catch the Unipsychos from 9:30 p.m. to midnight Fridays, when they gather for weekly downtown rides.
Business on parade
Title sponsor Chesapeake Energy’s entry is among the most anticipated floats, but the parade itself is its biggest contribution. Sponsors like Chesapeake Energy and Chase have made it possible for parade producer Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. to offer free general admission for more than a quarter century.
“Chesapeake Energy and its employees are pleased to support what has become a treasured Fort Worth tradition,” said Julie H. Wilson, Chesapeake Energy Vice President of Public Affairs in the Barnett Shale. “It’s our holiday gift to the community, and we hope everyone is able to enjoy the festivities.”
A century in the making
Our Lady of Victory Catholic School is celebrating its centennial Christmas with parade-goers through its entry, and Cub Scout Pack 321 dedicates its float to 100 years of scouting in anticipation of the Boy Scouts of America’s centennial.
Music on the march: marching bands
Those in search of wise men need look no further than the Moslah Shrine Bedouins oriental band, one of three entries from the Shriners. Adorned head to foot in eastern dress, band members represent Moslah Shrine and its hospitals at parades and public events near and far.
Arlington Heights, Dunbar, North Side, Paschal, South Hills, O.D. Wyatt and Western Hills high school bands will march in the parade, but only one--Western Hills High School--has the honor of serving as Santa band and will herald the jolly man’s arrival with a rendition of “Here Comes Santa Claus.”
Equestrian groups: history on the hoof
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Posse will be joined by equestrian teams from Glory Riders, Cartwright Ranch, Image Setter Ranch and others like the Wells Fargo Stagecoach that celebrate the city’s western heritage.
Hot wheels
Autos on parade will include antique fire trucks from the Texas Fire Museum as well as late models from Haltom City Fire Rescue and the Fort Worth Fire Department Ladder #1. Vintage Model A vehicles, VWs, a big red double-decker bus, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Limousine are in the line-up as well.
Signs of the season
Tarrant County College’s newly opened Trinity River Campus joins the parade for the first time this year, and its float features students in the TCC Interpreting for the Deaf program signing to holiday songs.
The parade will roll from the corner of Belknap and Throckmorton streets at 6 p.m. Nov. 27 and will bring revelers to the base of the Sundance Square Christmas Tree, where Santa will appear to hear the dreams and wishes of all ages.
The tree, a 52-foot Michigan Blue Spruce, will be green in the environmental sense. Sundance Square’s energy partner, Green Mountain Energy, will offset the tree’s carbon emissions with 100% wind power, and the twinkling lights are provided by energy-efficient LED bulbs.
General admission to festivities is free, but guests can purchase Street Seats, or reserved, festival-style seating along the parade route, at prices starting at $10 for adults, $7 for seniors or kids 12 and under. Family Fun Packs of four seats are available for only $28. Street Seats are on sale now at www.fortworthparadeoflights.org.
Good food, games and live entertainment start at 2 p.m. at the parade’s downtown Holiday Fun Zone presented by XTO Energy, where friends and families make a day and night of this holiday affair. Follow all the fun as it develops at www.fortworthparadeoflights.org.
The Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights is presented by CHASE and supported by Sundance Square, Coors Distributing Company, XTO Energy, the Star-Telegram, AmeriCredit, Courtyard by Marriott/Blackstone Hotel, the City of Fort Worth, Ranch 95.9, and Clear Channel Radio stations 106.1 Kiss FM, Lone Star 92.5, 102.1 The Edge, 97.1 The Eagle, and Mix 102.9. The Sundance Square Christmas Tree is presented courtesy of Sundance Square, with carbon-neutral power provided by Green Mountain Energy.
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