Thousands of people lined Main Street for the 95th annual De Soto Christmas Parade on Dec. 2.
“There was a huge turnout,” said Sarah Greenlee, office coordinator for the De Soto Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the parade each year. “People lined the streets the whole mile and a half (of the parade route).”
Johnston Construction earned the Santa’s Pick Award for its parade entry.
The parade theme was “Christmas Express” and started at Mahn Funeral Home and ended at J.C. Culwell Stadium behind De Soto High School.
Greenlee said festivities started at 6 p.m. and lasted about two hours. There were 140 units in the parade, as well as nearly 500 walkers and 10 horses.
“The last float left the staging area at almost 7 p.m.,” she said.
Due to the cold and the threat of rain, the marching bands from De Soto and Grandview R-2 high schools didn’t take part in the parade, but Kingston High School in Cadet marched on.
Greenlee said a light rain was falling by the end of the parade.
Several parade entry awards were given out.
The Most Creative Award went to Sunnyville Inc. for its Gingerbread Train design. The Santa’s Pick Award was presented to Johnston’s Construction, which also followed the train theme.
Each of the winners received a trophy and certificate.
Patsy Westhoff flips the switch for the Christmas tree at De Soto City Hall.
About 700 took part in the De Soto Christmas Tree Lighting at City Hall on Dec. 1, Greenlee said.
Patsy Westhoff, who decorates the town’s Christmas tree every year, flipped the switch to turn on the lights, Greenlee said.
The De Soto High School Choir performed at the Christmas Tree Lighting, and Santa Claus was on hand. A Nativity Walk was held afterward when many businesses stayed open late and displayed nativity scenes.