STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 16
The Stillwater Holiday
PARADE OF LIGHTS...
... makes the season merry and bright
For more than 40 years Stillwater has kicked off the Christmas season with a quintessential hometown parade that draws people to line the streets no matter the weather as it lights up downtown with a generous helping of holiday cheer.
Longtime volunteer organizer Collett Campbell says the Stillwater Holiday Parade of Lights has become an important tradition for many residents, and sometimes even former residents who have moved away but still treasure their memories. Now they come back and bring their children or grandchildren.
“ There are people who literally in June will call me and ask when the parade is,” Campbell said“ They plan family events around it.”
The parade has evolved over the years, starting in the early 1980s as a very small affair and growing as the late Tom Williams, a community leader and former Stillwater City Councilor, took the lead, drawing inspiration from parades he’ d seen in other communities.
Volunteers from the local business community formed a committee, reaching out to encourage banks, businesses and community organizations to create entries and recruiting area marching bands to add the parade to their schedules.
Campbell joined the effort in 1997 and over the years the parade grew enough to set a goal of having 100 entries in 2007
to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma’ s statehood.
In spite of Oklahoma’ s changeable weather, the holiday parade has only been canceled once in all the years Campbell has been involved with it. She said it basically canceled itself that year with entries dropping out due to an ice storm moving in a few hours before start time.
She also recalls a tornado warning being issued after the parade had started one year. Entries continued making their way along the route because public safety officials had determined the least chaotic and safest course of action for getting participants to safety was moving every Stillwater Christmas tree lighting
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 16