The Newton Holiday Parade marks the official kickoff to the holiday season here in beautiful Sussex County.
The parade took place on Saturday, November 25, 2023 and ran about 45 minutes. It was a clear, cold morning, but the holiday cheer in the air kept us all warm inside.
Parade participants included civic groups, scouting troops, town pageant winners, marching bands, government officials, EMS and Fire vehicles, and of course Santa Claus.
If you’ve never been to the parade, it’s something you’ll want to put on your calendar for next year. It’s the perfect representation of Sussex County and the people that live here.
While recording this video, I looked around the crowd of smiling faces and was able to pick out many friends and some family members I haven’t seen in a while. This was a great opportunity to reconnect and wish a “Happy Holiday” even if our meeting was only for a moment.
The parade started with a welcome from the Town Crier, followed by our scouting troops, marching bands, pageant winners, local business owners, town officials, a dance performance, floats from our local 4-H clubs, Fire and EMS vehicles, and a visit from Ol’ Saint Nick.
Each parade participant represented a part of what makes Sussex County great. We had the tradition of the Town Crier with his welcome speech, and the scouting and 4-H youth groups that are missing from so many communities. We had technology represented by Planet Networks and our modern fleet of Fire and EMS rigs. We had pageant winners that represented their towns at the State Fair, and High School marching bands where our children rehearsed for months to perfect their performances.
And we can’t forget Spring Street. This is Sussex County’s “Main Street”, and a prefect location for the parade. You have historic buildings lining the street with restaurants like The Farmer’s Daughter, and retail shops like Feels Like Home.
The Newton Holiday Parade was just a snapshot in time, but it perfectly represented what makes Sussex County so great!
I hope you enjoy the video,
Trevor
Members of Life In Sussex staff have contributed to this post.
