Decorating Day and Parade of Lights bring holiday spirit to town

PINE PLAINS — It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Pine Plains last weekend as the town invited residents and guests alike to preen it for the coming holiday season at the 36th annual Town Decorating Day, followed by the traditional Parade of Lights on Saturday, Nov. 27.

After the surprise snowfall that came drifting down the day before on Friday, Nov. 26, Pine Plains had a cold, clear day to hang decorations and parade through town. Starting at 3 p.m., residents were invited to pick up those decorations in front of the Bank of Millbrook building at 2971 East Church St. in the center of town.

Having collected their decorations, they were given access to the pine trees lining the streets and encouraged to garnish them for the holidays. By nightfall, the trees glowed with the holiday spirit, courtesy of the residents’ thoughtful handiwork.

Local children were awestruck to find Santa Claus in Pine Plains a month early, but delighted nonetheless by the chance opportunity to share their holiday wishes with him at the gazebo at the Town Park. As the afternoon gave way to evening, holiday music came streaming into the center of town and Pine Plains shone with a little extra holiday magic with both the lighting of the town Christmas tree and the sight of local residents crowding the streets, determined to get the best view of the parade as it made its way from the Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School into the center of town.

At the stroke of 5 p.m., sirens sounded from the distance and heads turned toward the arrival of the parade’s spectacular line-up of fire engines, resident vehicles, floats, tractors and other sights to behold.

The sirens were traced to the decorated series of fire engines from a number of local fire companies. Members of the Pine Plains FFA waved to their friends and neighbors from atop of their float, proud to embrace the community and holiday spirit in equal measure.

Local families adorned their vehicles, tractors and four-wheelers for the occasion with a variety of holiday trimmings, including inflatable holiday critters and characters and even a few surprise passengers ranging from Santa Claus to the Grinch. Some even threw candy and other treats to the little ones standing along the sidewalks with open arms.

With help from his friends at Bank of Millbrook, Santa Claus came riding into town on the bank’s parade float, while the Ronnybrook Farm team wowed the crowd with their illuminated farm-themed holiday float.

A Grinch on a motorcycle rode at the tail end of the parade, and spectators were encouraged to boo the Grinch to dissuade him from stealing Christmas this year.

Whether they were a first-responder, a local family or an organization or a visitor from a neighboring town, the event’s emcee thanked each and every one of the parade’s participants with gusto as they passed through the center of town. The crowd, always enthusiastic, responded in kind with applause, just thankful to be able to celebrate the holidays once more with the community as it has for so many years in the past.

Bundled up against the cold night, parade participants gave a hearty holiday wave to the spectators lining the sidewalks as they made their way through the town of Pine Plains as part of the annual Parade of Lights. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Bundled up against the cold night, parade participants gave a hearty holiday wave to the spectators lining the sidewalks as they made their way through the town of Pine Plains as part of the annual Parade of Lights. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle