Cary’s Jaycees Christmas Parade marched on last Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. near the newly opened Downtown Cary Park. The event is an annual tradition in its 43rd year and consists of many families, friends and children crowding the streets to watch. The two-hour parade consisted of parade floats, decorated motor vehicles and dressed-up participants. Jaycees, a community service organization, sets up the entire parade and manages the event every year.
Before the parade, Downtown Cary roads were lined up with chairs, restaurants were at full capacity and many were dressed in festive gear before the parade started. Many dressed in ubiquitous festive red, white and green outfits and dogs in costumes peppered the streets.
This year, increased safety precautions were introduced due to an accident that occurred last year. The parade followed strict rules that applied to floats arriving earlier, Cary police and fire giving a safety briefing, restriction of people on a float, candy being handed out and not thrown and several other restrictions. These restrictions were taken seriously and were followed through to have a good time at the parade.
The parade consisted of 88 acts that involved local performance troupes. Performing acts held smiles and warm greetings of “Merry Christmas” and waves to the crowd. Lots of candy and American flags were given to the kids that sat on the edge of the sidewalk. Dancing acts and many clubs performed and there were numerous holiday-themed costumes. Multiple acts consisted of vehicles including a fire truck, vintage cars, tractors, fancy new cars, military vehicles and lifted trucks. Many went into the streets decked out in tinsel, wreaths, holiday ornaments and respective mascots.
The Jaycees parade brought the community together by holding unique acts throughout the parade from the Cary area. This included clubs like Apex Skip-Its jump roping, multiple schools marching band, flag and various sports teams. Elderly homes, Dorcas Ministries, churches, veterans’ associations, Boy and Girl scouts, live bands and mini ponies in costumes throughout the parade. Many cited these appearances and performances as what makes the event an iconic tradition.
The Green Hope marching band and flag team was at the parade to perform as well as other schools such as Panther Creek and Green Level High School. Green Hope was dressed in traditional green and black uniforms and decorated instruments and props with wreaths, poinsettias, Christmas hats and antlers. During the performance, the band used bows and candy cane during the performance. The marching band was well-represented and many families of band members showed their support.
The parade ended with Santa Claus represented by Ashworths Drugs and Lynn’s Hallmark Shops. Santa was on a float with a sleigh and some reindeer waving goodbye to the crowd. The parade is a tradition for many Cary families which is a reason it makes it special to the area. Attendees celebrated the annual Cary Christmas Parade with their families and enjoyed a festive afternoon during the holiday season this winter.
This is the second feature of the four-part series “Home for the holidays,” highlighting local holiday festivities that are unique to the Cary area.
