Downtown Clarkston was full of spirit as many filled the streets for the 24th Annual Holiday Lights Parade hosted by Clarkston High School’s Team RUSH 27 Robotics team on Saturday night.
The theme for this year’s parade Innovate and Illuminate and the 35 entries did just that.
Team RUSH 27 handed out six awards before the parade began.

Clarkston Schools Transportation won Clarkston Schools Wolf Pride, sponsored by The Clarkston News, for their carousel. Their float turned a school bus into a magical carousel. The transportation team shared, “our team has won awards for the past few years. We are looking to bring home another win for the Clarkston Transportation team.”
Pine Knob Daisy Girl Scout Troop No. 77764 won Best Holiday Spirit, sponsored by Genisys Credit Union, and shared they are taking pride in the education of future entrepreneurs and cookie lovers and look forward to start selling cookies soon.
Clarkston Elementary’s Campfire Friends won Most Creative STEM Float, sponsored by David W. Elliot Foundation.
The group shared, “what started as a spark grew into a flame; two friends shared a campfire and the light attracted more! Soon, friends from all throughout the school came together to enjoy the fun, food, and tradition of camping and community. These students and their families used simple tools to build their float – highlighting engineering innovations throughout history. Notice: a wheel and axle, an inclined plane, screws, levers, and a pulley – humans and machines come together as innovation and illumination under the stars, and there’s always room for more at this magical Clarkston El campfire.”
Cub Scouts Pack 163 won Best Overall Entry, sponsored by Team RUSH 27. The pack, made up of over 50 boys and girls from all over Clarkston, chose to do a “Home Alone” themed float because they love the movie and thought it would be fun to design.
Girl Scouts from throughout Clarkston joined together to make their float, the Hogwarts Express, which won Best Use of Theme, sponsored by the River of Live Church. They worked together to design and create their float, which was inspired by the innovation of trains.
The Jeep Babes Enthusiasts Club Michigan Chapter won Best Use of Lights and Music, sponsored by Techmode Go. -Wendi Price

  Holiday Lights Parade