Shown from before the parade got underway are (from left to right) Pastor Galler, Kylee Vineyard (dressed as Mary), Cooper Sampson (dressed as Joseph), J.D. Sampson, Steven Sampson, Danny Sampson, and Sharon Sampson.
The theme for the 82nd Annual Kilgore Christmas Parade was “Santa’s Dash for the Snow Hill”, but the members of Pilgrim Lutheran Church chose to focus their float on Jesus as the reason for the season, and their effort was awarded 1st place best overall for a non-profit float.
On the float, Sunday School children portrayed Mary and Joseph alongside a simple stable, an illuminated cross told why Jesus came, and Christmas carols played. The songs were Carrie Underwood’s version of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, the New York Children’s Choir’s rendition of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, Done Again’s version of “Away in a Manger”, and The Bare Naked Ladies’ combination of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings”.
More than 100 entries participated in the parade as it wound its way through the streets of downtown Kilgore on Tuesday, November 27, 2012. Winners were announced soon after, but awards were given out Thursday, December 20, at the Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, which sponsored the the parade.
Pastor Galler receives the certificate for the Pilgrim float from Chamber of Commerce President Mike Coston. Photo: James Draper, Kilgore News Herald
Pilgrim Lutheran Church has participated in the annual parade a number of times over the congregation’s more than sixty-year history, with the most-recent string of appearances beginning in 2010.
You can find The Kilgore News Herald‘s coverage of the parade, including a complete list of winners, here.
