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December 7, 2009

Comanche parade brings light at night

Derrick Miller

COMANCHE — There’s something unique about the Comanche parade. Sure it features Santa Claus, like any other Christmas parade someone may attend, but the nighttime atmosphere gives the Comanche Christmas parade a different feel than other parades.

On Saturday, Comanche Christmas parade rolled down Oak Main. People lined the street to watch floats covered in holiday lights.

Dee Watson, Comanche Chamber of Commerce president, said the parade is an important event for the community because it provides a chance for neighbors and friends to spend time with one another.

“It’s a chance for all town’s people to come out and get together,” Watson said. “A lot of time they don’t get to see each other. It’s a small town, but we don’t see each other all the time.”

Because Comanche’s parade is at night, there are a few things it can do that other parades can’t. Of course, the floats are decorated with holiday lights. This gives float designers a different challenge because they have to be creative where people can’t necessarily see the details.

Watson said all floats and emergency vehicles in the parade are always lit up. This year, he wasn’t sure how many emergency vehicles were involved in the parade, but he said there were quite a few.

The Comanche parade also often uses the night atmosphere to shoot off fireworks. This year, the town wasn’t able to use fireworks. Watson said the parade couldn’t have fireworks because the Fire Department said the wind was too strong, and it could prove to be a fire hazard.

Instead, the parade began with a color guard marching east on Oak Main. The Comanche High School band soon followed. And a multitude of other floats continued the parade.

Watson said it takes a lot of volunteers to get a parade off the ground. He said there were more than 20 volunteers who took part in the parade, whether planning or helping it run smoothly.

He said the Comanche Christmas parade has a long-standing tradition of being at night. And it’s something that will probably continue for years to come.

“It’s a different atmosphere,” Watson said. “There’s not many night parades.”



— Derrick Miller is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 160, or via e-mail at derrick.miller@duncanbanner.com

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