The streets of Hammond filled with twinkling lights, candy and beads, music and families as the Hammond Chamber of Commerce’s 54th Annual Christmas Parade rolled through downtown.
Beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, the parade rolled throughout the city, past Southeastern and through downtown Hammond. This year’s parade featured the addition of the Battle of the Bands and The Golden H Christmas Spirit Award competitions with the theme “A Country Christmas Old and New.” Star Equipment, a local family owned business, sponsored the parade.
“It’s a family event and a part of the Christmas holiday season, so it’s always something that people look forward to being a part of,” said Tiffany Butler, membership and marketing coordinator of Hammond Chamber of Commerce. “We have it every year on the first Saturday of December, and we always have a great night.”
This year’s parade boasted 67 participants including five high school marching bands and the Southeastern Spirit of the South Marching Band. Attendants were encouraged to vote at the Hammond Chamber Facebook page for the competitions.
“We’ve been doing a lot of things for the parade in the past,” said Charlie Chiolino, an owner of Star Equipment. “We just want to help them out, promote the parade and get people to join in.”
The Hammond High Magnet School marching band received a plaque for winning the Battle of the Bands competition.
“The bands are probably my favorite part,” said Gwen Bertone of Hammond. “This seems like perfect weather, and everyone’s out and having a good time.”
The Golden H Christmas Spirit Award also went to Hammond High Magnet School for their band, flag team and torettes.
“We come here all the time. I’ve been coming for at least 20 years,” said Steve Badeaux of Hammond. “It’s nice that they’re doing something with the community. It’s safe, fun, the kids enjoy it and it beats going out to New Orleans any day of the week.”
The participants included a variety of local businesses, dance groups, restaurants, churches, Miss Southeastern and Santa.
“I’ve been going to this parade all my life, about 15 years,” said Samuel Miller, a sophomore at Hammond High School. “I love it all, and it’s all really fun. It’s a good time for everyone to hang out.”
While the parade elicited overall enthusiasm from the abundant participants, the parade was not without criticism.
“I’m from New Orleans, so it’s hard to judge a parade. I think it’s okay as far as a country parade goes. It’s nothing like our parades in the city, but it’s nice,” said Catherine D’Amico of Kenner. “They need bands in between each group because when they come in without any band or anything, to me, the meaning isn’t there. The band is what gets you all hyped up, but they’re trying to do a good job.”
Despite the majority of participants being outside of the typical college crowd, there were some Southeastern students who participated.
“I thought most of the floats were pretty cool, but occasionally you got something that looked like a truck that just got mixed in with the parade and you wonder, ‘What are you doing here?'” said Megan Jenkins, a sophomore psychology major. “It’s nice to see people who aren’t college students to get an idea of who actually lives in Hammond. I thought it was really cool to see all of the community in one area.”