BLYHEWOOD – More than a hundred parade entries hand-waved through the streets of downtown Blythewood Sunday afternoon as thousands of children and their parents lined the parade route alternately waving back and collecting lollipops and other sweets from elves and candy walkers.
The weather settled into the high 50’s under sunny/shady skies. It was the perfect day for a Christmas parade.
Leading the parade were the usual giant emergency vehicles blaring sirens and flashing lights. Then came the color guard and the Grand Marshall, Annie Faust, 103, though the gold BMW she was riding in was not labeled.
The first band was a scaled down version of the Ft. Jackson Army band. Other bands followed representing Blythewood High School, Westwood High School and Ridgeview High School.
Then came the garbage trucks, the tow trucks and pickup trucks caring kids in holiday costumes. Blythewood’s Tae Kwon Do teams broke boards in the middle of the street and Westwood High School actors strode arm and arm.
Scouts – both girls and boys – walked and floated through the streets, along with dogs, ponies, motorcycles, antique cars, cars and more cars.
There were dancing girls from Patterson Dance Studio and others from a studio in Columbia, plus the Fairfield Central High School Elite dancers from Winnsboro.
Dogs walked on leashes, rode in pickup trucks and on floats. There were sports teams – football, all stars and lacrosse. Freeway Music students strummed and sung, and holiday music blared from the trunks of vehicles. There were high school kings and queens, tiny cheerleaders and finally, Santa riding in his big red sleigh high above the crowd.
The hour and a half parade was the culmination of the first week of Christmas in Blythewood, which began the Friday after Thanksgiving with the lighting of the town Christmas tree.
