The 9th Annual Sayre Borough Christmas Parade took place last Friday, November 23rd, and it was a resounding success. I don’t know how many people lined the parade route, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it equaled Sayre’s population (5,813).
Our Borough Manager, Dave Jarrett, restarted the Christmas parade program in 1999, and it has been bigger and better in each successive year under his leadership. Some people think it is Sayre Borough production, but it’s pretty much a”Dave” production, through the Sayre Community Corporation.
Mayor Denny Thomas served as the parade’s grand marshal. State Rep. Tina Pickett was the parade’s honorary grand marshal. Per the Morning Times coverage in the November 24th edition:
Also taking part in the parade were rising star Joey Page; the Sayre Borough Police Department; the Valley Salvation Army; the Sayre Borough Parade Committee; People’s State Bank; state Rep. Tina Pickett; the Borough of Sayre; the Sayre High School marching band; the Sayre Fire Department; the Valley Kiwanis Club; the Pat Haggerty Dancers; the Chemung Fire Department; Guthrie Healthcare System; the Penn-York Highlanders; the Athens Borough Fire Department; Greater Valley Emergency Medical Services; the Athens Township Fire Department; East Sayre Neighborhood Watch; Stray Haven Humane Society; the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce; the Sayre Sons of Italy; St. John Lutheran Church; Boy Scout Pack No. 19; Costume Capers; the Tioga Fire District; the Waverly-Barton Fire Department; Citizens and Northern Bank; North Rome Christian School; Bradford County commissioners John Sullivan and Mark W. Smith; Magisterial District Judge Michael Shaw; Chris Z. Sutton’s Towing; the Valley Chorus; Dance Magic Academy of Waverly; the Six Pines Service Unit of the Girl Scouts; the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce; His Tabernacle Family Church; RC Horton Electric; and the Litchfield Fire Department.
Santa Claus traveled in the parade on a fire engine from Engine Co. No. 1 and stopped at Howard Elmer Park to meet with, have his picture taken with and hand out gifts to the children.
The first 250 children under the age of 12 who stopped to visit Santa Claus received a gift bag that was provided through the generosity of the parade’s many sponsors. Special gift cards will be given out at random during the visit with St. Nick.
Howard Elmer Hose Co. No. 4 assisted with the planning and coordination of this year’s parade.
