Parade kicks off the holiday celebration

'Tis the season for snow, and as if on cue, intermittent bursts of snowflakes fell as hundreds of spectators lined both sides of Hood Avenue on Saturday for the 37th Annual Sisters Christmas Parade.

The parade was sponsored by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce and Hoodoo Recreation, and this year's theme was "Hometown Christmas," inspired by Sisters' recent downtown reconstruction project.

With a combination of floats, dancers, fire trucks and amazing animals, the Christmas parade had children and big folks applauding, laughing and cheering, as each entry made its way past, with emcee R.C. West from KSJJ radio narrating.

Sisters Dance Academy performers danced and pranced their way down the street as onlookers clapped and snapped photos of the talented group. Animals doing tricks, racing down the street or just plain looking pretty in their holiday attire were some of the many highlights of this year's parade.

Decorated with garlands and bundles of wrapped Christmas presents, four llamas and their handlers from the Central Oregon Llama Association made their way past smiling spectators. The llamas in the parade are among more than 500 llamas in Central Oregon and Sisters Country.

Following the livestock was Cascade Bobcat Service, serving Sisters the area for 17 years, with Mike Scherrer and his crew known for "cleaning up the streets."

All the kids shouted and waved as Hoodoo Mountain Resort's float rolled on by with their mascot Harold the Hodag, a big favorite among the little folk.

Many spectators, who enjoy the parade year after year, anticipate the coming of the Corgi Express with Rio, Cooper, Trystan and Duff pulling their sleigh as fast as they can with their pet parents Ann Richardson in the lead and Clyde Dildine following close behind.

And the grand finale of the parade - the one the kids await - was the Black Butte Ranch carriage that held the season's most popular attraction: Santa Claus.

"There were 24 entries in the parade this year, and downtown Sisters was packed out with visitors and residents," said a smiling Judy Trego, executive director for the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. "The kids just loved it, and we made it through without a snow storm."

Directly following the parade, Santa made a visit to the Sisters Chamber office on Main Avenue for one-on-one visits with the youngsters. Harold the Hodag, Hoodoo's mascot, was there as well, along with Hoodoo's marketing director, Leif Williams, who passed out Autobahn tube park tickets to the first 50 people.

Sisters residents and visitors had a cornucopia of special events to enjoy before and after the festivities of the parade on Hood Avenue.

The annual Three Sisters Lions Club Holiday Faire had handmade quality items from local vendors on the corner of Hood Avenue and Elm Street. Eurosports' 25th anniversary party was at Fir Street, and also included the Pottery Show & Studio Sale presented by local potter Karen Kassy.