By Chris Barber
Contributing Writer

The residents of the Kennett Square area demonstrated again on Saturday night that they love parades—and they are eager to come see them regardless of the weather conditions.

The weather was very cold with temperatures hovering at freezing and perhaps below, but several thousand spectators came out to enjoy the uptown Holiday Light Parade anyway.

And although the parade was advertised widely to begin at 7 p.m., visitors had gathered with folding lawn chairs much earlier, lining he route from South Broad Street to West State Street by 6 p.m.

The large turnout was similar to the community response to the Memorial Day Parade at the end of May, even as that occasion enjoys warmer weather and occurs at late morning under mostly sunlit skies.

The annual Holiday Light Parade features many decorated vehicles – entered in the parade by businesses, nonprofits or local residents. The vehicles lumber through the streets with numerous lights after dark, making a dramatic show in the borough’s darkness.

The line of participants proceeded from the borough lot in the 600 block of South Broad Street to State Street, where the reviewing stand speakers announced the features.

The procession concluded with the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus, courtesy of Santa’s faithful helpers, Fran and Andrea Durynski.

Lifelong Unionville vehicle restorer Lou Mandich, piloting his 1918 Buick convertible and accompanied by his wife, Barbara, drove Santa and Mrs. Claus serenely up the street to greet the crowd and to light the borough’s tree.

As for the audience, spectators crowded the parade route, often piling in three-deep along the sidewalks.

One visible difference from the Memorial Day Parade audience was the makeup of the crowd. This crowd was loaded with young children wrapped in blankets, many of them gazing with wonder and delight at the parade.

Entertainment was slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. with the dancers from Longwood Performing Arts (another tradition) slated to appear and kick up their feet. But as the minutes dragged along, they did not perform until close to 7 p.m. and they were dimmed by the lack of light that ironically gave elegant frame to the brightly decorated vehicles.

One difference with the dancers this year from last was that after they gave their first performance at the intersection of Broad and Union streets in front of La Verona restaurant, they moved farther west and performed again near Meredith Street in front of El Ranchero restaurant.

The crowds accommodated the expansion and lined the nearby sidewalks with chairs and blankets.

At 7 p.m., the parade got underway and continued for the better part of an hour-and-a-half, meaning that the youngest viewers were out beyond what was often their bedtime. This was a concern for many parents.

Many people expressed in online sites that with the darkness falling at 5 p.m., the parade could have commenced by 6 p.m. and left more time for kids to greet Santa before heading home.

Mrs. Santa Claus herself expressed concerns before the event that, with the tree lighting taking place so late, it meant that some parents would not want to keep their young children out later for the Santa greeting time.

The light parade has for years taken place on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It was moved recently to Saturday night, coinciding with the “Small Business Saturday” promotion.

The apparent change, however, did not seem to diminish the crowds.

The variety of vehicles and features that traveled the route was impressive.

Following the Kennett High School Marching Band, whose members wore colorful pajama-like leggings as they performed, were a string of local fire trucks, the return of the Kennett Square’s lighted New Year Mushroom, a trio of horses and several floats full of children who dispersed snow-like confetti.

All this showed off the hours of work that had been put in to converting everyday vehicles into seasonal extravaganzas for the parade.

The Light Parade was coordinated by Kennett Collaborative, the organization established to promote the business district and community events. It has its roots in the nation-wide Main Street program.

The borough continues to present year-end promotions throughout the coming weeks including Christmas Market, the New Year’s Eve Mushroom Drop, the Santa Train and periods of free parking available in the parking garage.