With nearly 70 parade entries and hundreds of participants, the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Light Your Way Christmas Parade, in partnership with Miracle on 7th Street, was back in action after a year’s hiatus. The Terre Haute community gathered along Wabash Avenue on Saturday to enjoy the fifth annual showing of Christmas lights, music and, of course, Santa Claus.
John Mace, director of conferences and events, heads the event. After restructuring the parade last year to be a drive-through event, to then canceling it due to COVID, he is glad for all the help he gets.
“We had a lot of cooperation from the city and county as far as our security,” Mace said. Along with local law enforcement, SMWC Public Safety was on site to ensure safety. Students from The Woods volunteered to help keep the streets safe as candy was being passed out. “I’m very pleased with it. It was a beautiful night. All the participants had big smiles, just like the kids on the parade route.”
Ashlyn Hunley and Emma Brinson, student interns, worked tirelessly to make the night memorable.
“It was such an amazing opportunity,” Hunley, a freshman elementary education major from Duggar, Indiana, said. She said she “absolutely loves” Christmas and was excited to bring joy to others through the parade. “Helping with this year’s parade has been so much fun and I feel like I have learned so much through this!”
She said one of her favorite parts was getting to know more of the Terre Haute community. When their class schedules allowed, the interns would attend the Miracle on 7th board meetings each week to be in the know and help plan. “We’ve gotten to know so many people,” Hunley said.
Brinson, a freshman elementary education and math major from Linton, Indiana, said she is thankful to be a part of the event.
“I liked being a part of something that is such a big part of this community,” she said. “Seeing everything come together was really meaningful.”
Both students said the balance of parade work and schoolwork was a challenge, but worth every second.
“I made it, and I’ve gained great time management skills and made some great friends along the way,” Brinson said.
Carmen Dean, of West Terre Haute, was a summer intern for Mace to help get the ball rolling on parade planning. She is currently a senior at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis as an event major.
“It really is exciting to help the community celebrate Christmas,” Dean said. “I helped get some of the basic plans of the parade going so [Hunley and Brinson] could take it on.”
Judges for the parade, Vigo County Sheriff John Plasse, Marla Flowers, executive director of the Vigo County History Center and Kristin Craig ’03, ’16G, president of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, sat along the route of the parade that ran from 5th Street to 9th Street on Wabash Avenue and oversaw choosing the award winners. Three awards — most creative, most lights and best overall — were given. Most creative went to Guarantee Roofing. Jeep Junkies received the award for best lights. The award for best overall parade entry went to Foam Homies.
Along with the parade, Miracle on 7th Street featured photos with the Grinch, Christmas tree lighting and an open-air market.