Vidalia Christmas parade gets the blues and other colors too

Published 12:25 am Monday, December 5, 2011

Ben Hillyer | The Natchez Democrat — Michael Messer and Shane Davis of the Natchez Church of God were part wise men part Blue Brothers as they sang “Wise Man” to the R&B song “Soul Man.” At left, Webelo Scout Loughton Barrett throws candy dressed in his reindeer antlers and blinking red nose.

VIDALIA — Saturday’s Vidalia Christmas parade displayed lots of local color — and not just in shades of red and green.

The color blue, for instance, was the shade of a Cajun-style front porch façade, decorated for the season, which sat on top of the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office float.

Ben Hillyer | The Natchez Democrat — A pink gorilla from the Church of God gives a candy cane to 19-month old Jordan Morrow who parked his car along the parade route Sunday.

The 8-year-old and under Superbowl Champions wore Santa hats of black and gold in tribute to the New Orleans Saints as they rode on a trailer and listened to a G-rated Who Dat version of rap song “Stand up and get crunk.”

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Massive green and yellow John Deere tractors barreled down Carter Street and elicited cheers from parade-goers.

“The wheels are taller than Daddy,” 16-year-old St. Martinsville resident Karlie Lajaunie yelled.

Lajaunie liked the vintage cars that rolled by in shades of orange, red, black and more, the best.

The religious Blues Brothers, wearing black suits and shades, made an encore stage performance Sunday following some soulful singing at the Natchez Christmas parade Saturday Night.

Horses of all different colors — some wearing Mexican blankets and sombrero-sporting riders — also chomped by the crowd.

Camouflage four-wheelers and a camo trolley with fleur-de-lis fenders rumbled across town.

The Miss-Lou Prancing Misses paraded in white flapper costumes.

Lajaunie, who came with her family from St. Martinsville, La., to catch the holiday parades, said catching two parades in one weekend was a treat.

“I would never (get tired of parades),” she said.

Shannon Morrow brought her sons, 19-month-old Jordan Morrow and 8-year-old Dalton Bullen to the parade, and all seemed to have a good time.

Bullen sifted through his grocery bag of loot after the parade and showed everyone his candy and bumper sticker.

Morrow met friend Sarah Johnson and her sons at the parade.

Johnson said she never misses out on the parades, especially now that she has children of her own.

“(The parade) is always something I remember getting to do, so I want them to be able to enjoy it too,” she said.

For Lajaunie’s mother, Juanita, aside from the colorful sights, enjoying the parade with the whole community was best part the Christmas parade.

“It just looks like everybody is standing here, none of us know each other, but we’re all happy at the same moment,” Juanita said.

Although Carnival season doesn’t arrive for another two months, at Sunday’s Christmas parade in Vidalia, everybody was having fun.