Great Otorohanga Christmas Parade

Barry from Otorohanga District

Great weather and a very good Christmas Parade on Maniapoto Street Otorohanga was enjoyed by hundreds, both children and adults, on Friday evening 1st December.

The line-up of floats was very good. It was nice to see the local car dealers had decided that a procession of new vehicles was not really in keeping with the theme of a Christmas Parade, and maybe one year soon we won’t need to see giant tractors trundling along the street amongst the floats. The only association with Christmas being that lots of silage and hay is being made during this season.
Surely Maniapoto Street is witness to sufficient harvesting rigs all summer long. It’s different of course, if the tractors are pulling trailers decorated with a Christmas theme.

It was nice to see the Steamfest train had arrived in town, I have been told this is a very popular float around the Waikato and Thames Valley. And members of the Glenbrook Vintage Railway had arrived with an antique jigger on their trailer – perhaps Santa Claus would have been a lot more visible on one of those floats instead of hidden somewhere on a trailer.

One of two disconcerting things was the throwing of lollies from the floats, and then back at the floats. The makings of a tragedy. This happened a few years ago in a Bay of Plenty town. A youngster broke away from caregivers to grab a lolly on the road and was killed under a passing fire engine.

The other thing was a group of about 4 boys doing bicycle wheel stands during breaks between the passing floats and afterwards weaving in and out of the crowds walking on the road. Actually we saw some very skilled riding, but rather dangerous with elderly and the very young amongst the crowd.

A very scary thing was the boy in the red beanie zig zagging amongst the crowd on the actual foot path along past Ronnie’s Café – this was during lulls in the parade which was rather spread out.

This is an event when there is a concentration of both old and young citizens and the boys should confine demonstrating their considerable riding skills to a more appropriate venue and I might add, while wearing safety gear.

Anyway – congratulations to the Business Assn. and other organisers for a good parade.