Large crowd turns out for Leesburg’s 27th annual Spirit of Christmas parade

LEESBURG — Hundreds of onlookers lined both sides of Main Street as the city of Leesburg held its 27th annual Spirit of Christmas parade Saturday.

The parade featured more than 100 participants, most of whom tossed candy and beads into the crowd as children scrambled for the goodies.

The morning began cool and crisp but warmed up as the parade cranked up. Event organizers said the number of participants and onlookers produced one of the largest turnouts in the past 27 years.

“This looks like one of the largest crowds I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been doing this for 12 years,” Lee County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Winston Oxford said. “We’ve heard this is one of the biggest Christmas parades in Southwest Georgia, and I couldn’t be more delighted.”

The parade featured Civil War re-enactors, floats, Shriners, the Lee County High School Marching Band, sleek sports cars, antique automobiles, hot rods, politicians, dancers, men wearing fezzes (more Shriners) on motorized tricycles turning doughnuts in the middle of Main Street, a Zombie Response Team, and Mickey Mouse … and that was just a partial roster of participants.

“We always have a huge turnout of parade participants, and we usually have one of the largest commercial participations in the area,” Chamber Vice President Lisa Davis said. “The crowd was great; of course, the weather helped. In my opinion, this was a big success. I saw a lot of kids with smiling faces and that’s really what it’s all about.”

The event also featuring live entertainment, food, and arts and crafts vendors. Entertainment included The Dance Company, the fourth-grade Twin Oaks Elementary School Performance Music Group, Broadway Bound Musical Theatre, the Lee County High School chorus and the high school’s jazz band.

The chamber awarded six ribbons for best floats, three each in commercial and non-commercial categories.

Unbreakable Bloodline and Lee County Warrior teamed up to win first place in the non-commercial division. Griffin Lumber Co. was second, and the YMCA’s entry finished third.

Chehaw Park won the commercial division, while Cub Scout Pack 71 from The Point was second and Finnicum Motors third.