Locals say the Christmas Parade in Waynesburg is tradition, and many community members who came to see the parade this year have attended in years past. The Greene County Chamber of Commerce has hosted the event as far back as the 1940s, said Executive Director Melody Longstreth, and they continue to host the event annually.

According to an old photo Longstreth in Chamber of Commerce records, the route of the parade, which goes straight down High Street in the middle of Waynesburg, has not changed since the beginning of the event.

Although it was raining Saturday, Dec. 1, many people lined the street at 2 p.m. to see the succession of vehicles, floats, bands and dancers participating in the event. As the parade went by, children observed fair queens sitting in sports cars or ran excitedly to gather candy thrown toward them by parade participants. Despite the rain, Longstreth said only a few participants cancelled.

Community member Mary Whitlatch said she has come to the event ever since she was a child, and she believes it brings the community together.

“It’s just something that everybody gathers every year to do, generation after generation,” Whitlatch said.

Ashton Wilson, a member of the community and an alumna of Waynesburg University, said this was the sixth or seventh year she has been at the event.

“It’s just a nice way to get together and kick off the season together as a community,” Wilson said. “Everyone rallies together and gets floats and things ready and participates.”

First Energy Foundation has sponsored the parade for four years now, said Longstreth. Randy Durr, manager of external affairs at First Energy, said the foundation decided to sponsor the event because they believe it is important to be involved in the community. He said the Christmas Parade is the one event that he believes “really truly seems to bring Greene County together.”

“I sit there and I watch the crowd and I watch all the marching bands from all the schools and different fire stations and everybody that’s a part of that, and it just gives me a sense of Greene County really coming together,” Durr said.

Durr served as one of the three float judges for the parade. He said there were 10 floats at the event, each judged by three categories: design, spirit and originality. Durr said the three judges tallied up their votes for each category and combined them to come up with the results of the contest. WWJD Christian Center received first prize for their float; Seldom Seen Farm placed second and the Lions Club placed third. Three other floats placed for “Best Designed,” “Most Spirited,” and “Most Original.”

“[The parade] has just become a community tradition,” Longstreth said. “It’s just a great thing to be a part of because of the joy it brings everybody in the community.”