By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Plenty of lights, Grinches and a little snow made this year’s Del Rio Christmas Night Light Parade a memorable one.
More than 70 entries wound their way down South Main Street on the first Friday in December, bringing smiles to the hundreds of parade goers that lined the route, two to three rows deep in some areas. The theme of this year’s parade was “Land of the Marching Toys,” allowing entries the opportunity to dip into their own childhoods and bring to life a variety of familiar toy lines.
This year’s parade also brought a new twist as volunteers from the United States Postal Service walked the entire parade route and collected letters to Santa from the children gathered with their families to watch. Letters were collected and kept safe on a nearby float to allow for secure transport to Santa’s Workshop at the North Pole.
This was the first time something like this was offered in the parade. According to USPS representatives, a total of 220 letters to Santa were collected.
This year’s parade also featured several new awards that were decided upon by a host of judges set up near PNC Bank. Twenty-six awards were handed out, allowing different entries to compete against their fellow entries in categories designated for car clubs, sports teams, law enforcement and more.
The City of Del Rio Mayor’s Float took the top prize. The entry featured Mayor Al Arreola and his wife Myrella flanked by nutcrackers and accompanied by several of Del Rio’s royalty such as Miss 4th of July and her court.
Second place went to the float that included the courts for Miss Del Rio and Miss Val Verde Texas dressed in holiday attire and sleepwear and utilizing a snow machine that scattered soap flakes into the cool night air to resemble a white Christmas. The entry also won the Snow Queen Award for Best Overall Queen Entry.
Third place was presented to the entry for Little Mr. and Little Miss Amistad.
The Del Rio Police Department’s entry won a pair of awards including the Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Award for the Most Festive City of Del Rio Entry and the Nutcracker Law Enforcement Award for Best Overall Law Enforcement Entry. Their entry featured a side by side draped in Christmas lights.
The remaining awards and award winners are as follows:
Mayor’s Choice Award – Walking: The Queen City Belles
Mayor’s Choice Award – Car/Float: St. Joseph
Noel Award Car/Float – Religious-themed Entry: St. Joseph
Noel Award Walking United – Religious-themed Entry: Danza Guadalupana by Martha Perez
Christmas Joy School Award (Any school entry that shows the most joy) – Sacred Heart
Christmas Joy Walking Unit (Any walking unit that shows the most joy) – Girl Scouts
Christmas Joy Sports Team (Sports team showing the most joy) – South Texas Horns Baseball
Holiday Spirit Car Award – Hidden Valley
Holiday Spirit Float Award (Most festive float) – Brown Plaza Queens
Holiday Spirit Marching Award (Most festive walking unit) – Connected Home Solutions
Merry and Bright Float Award (Most lights) – Chiro Connection
Merry and Bright Walking Unit (Most lights) – Del Rio Middle School Band
Merry and Bright Car (Most lights) – Off Road Recovery
Rudolph’s Friends Award (Festive animal entry) – Dynastia
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (Most festive City of Del Rio entry) – Del Rio Police Department
Band Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (Best band) – DJ Jay Jay
Hollidazzle Car Award (Most festive car) – Hidden Valley RV
Holidazzle Performance Award (Best performance, non-drill or non-cheer) – Esperanza Tae Kwon Do
Holidazzle Float Award (Most festive float) – Brown Plaza Royalty
Holidazzle Cheer Award (Best cheer/Chant performance) – Del Rio High School and Del Rio Middle School cheer
Holidazzle Dance Award (Best drill/dance performance) – Del Rio High School Dance Company
Snow Queen Award (Best overall queen entry) – Miss Del Rio Texas and Miss Val Verde
Nutcracker Law Enforcement Award (Best overall law enforcement entry) – Del Rio Police Department
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
