Lake Placid Christmas parade is good hometown fun

'Twas Saturday night on Interlake Boulevard and all through the town; not a Lake Placid resident was missing, not even a clown.

Spectators lined both sides of Interlake to see the Lake Placid Christmas parade Saturday 7 p.m.

The parade featured lots of familiar faces, including Santa, of course, Frosty the Snowman, the holy family, and even Elvis.

But it was the local color of some of the participants that really made it stand out.

Tractors were hung with stockings, and fishing boats were decked out in lights.

Fourteen of the Caladium Country Cloggers led by instructor Pat Kules danced a number on a flatbed trailer in black and white dresses.

The trailer bounced along behind floats by the FFA and Reagan's Lawn Service.

The youngest performer of this sort-of country tap-dancing was 26-year-old Jonnie Scudamore and the oldest was 75-year-old Alice Leitz.

Local churches took the opportunity to have some fun and spread their Christmas messages.

The First Presbyterian Church pulled a float of the nativity, with young parishioners playing the parts. Zachary Hogan starred as Joseph, Shannon Bloemsma as Mary, Lilia Lopez as the angel, Katelyn Hogan and Jessica Porter as shepherds, and Madison Kinchen and John and Katie Beck as the three wise men.

The Hispanic Catholic Church, Life Journey Christian Church, the First Baptist Church, and the Eastside Christian Church among others also participated. Eastside's float featured Grace Harmony and Stepping out in Faith singing quartet music.

Had there been an award given for funniest float, it would have been won by Southern Lifestyle Assisted Living.

This care facility decorated one of their buses and drove it, filled with elderly passengers, down Interlake playing the song "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." The kicker: the life-sized stuffed grandma doll strapped to the grill.

Long's Air Conditioning from Avon Park had a large presence at the parade, pulling a small plane lit up with white Christmas lights.

The Cessna 170 was outfitted with angel wings that flapped, and a snow machine filled the air with white flakes that added to the magic and prompted the children to jump up and chase the "snowflakes" on the 80 F evening with 92 percent humidity.

Long's grandsons Kenny,13, and Koy McGrath, 12, rode in the plane.

Long's Air Conditioning also featured the Angel Choo Choo-a Christmas train inspired by the memory of Long's son, Kenny Jr., who died at the age of 4.

Other local businesses and groups with floats in the parade included the Heartland Harmonizers, the Orchid Society of Lake Placid, Alan Jay, Heartland National Bank, The Miracle League, Don's TV, the Lake Placid ROTC, The Florida Hospital, Outback USA Pontoon, the Shriners and SFCC.

Attitudes Dance Studio provided dancers in red and white fur-trimmed outfits performing to "All I Want For Christmas Is You." One of those dancers was 6-year-old Kennedy Andrews. The Latin American Motorcycle Association also participated, waving from about 20 motorcycles.

Of course, it would not be Lake Placid without clowns, and more than 20 of them turned out to represent Toby's Clowns. The clowns rode in a big clown vehicle or walked around interacting with the crowd. One clown even chauffeured the Grinch around on a three-wheeled bicycle.

Fire trucks and horses rounded out the parade, which kicked off with the Lake Placid High School band.

The parade route began at Dal Hall and Main Street in downtown Lake Placid, and crossed over to Interlake where it turned east and worked its way to U.S. 27. The parade lasted a little over an hour and a half.