From left, cousins Rose, Liv, Vincent, Freddy, Brooks, Ella, and James Warner stay warm and well lit while waiting for the parade to start. Photos by Phil Custodio

Main Street burst into life well before the Holiday Lights Parade began, Saturday night. Friends gathered, and were encouraged to make new ones. A small child on the curb sang “Jingle Bells” alongside her classmates as they clapped their hands to the rhythm.

“The parade was so fun! It was really exciting to get up close and personal with the floats,” said Parker Szachta, Clarkston High School junior, one of the Team RUSH students organizing the parade.
Garrett Bailey, a senior who helped judge the floats, said that he likes “being on judges because they’re really cool people and you get a really cool preview of what the floats are doing by getting up close and personal with them.”
“I liked that I was able to see all the people from the community come together to watch our parade,” said Alison Scheil. “Being a new student on the team gave me an opportunity to feel what it’s like to be on more than just a team. RUSH is more than just robotics.”
The theme was “Holiday Movie Classics,” allowing the community to create floats based on cinema classics such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Awards went to Bordine Nursery for Best Use of Lights/Music;
Girl Scout Troop 75949 with their theme of “The Nightmare Before Christmas in C-Town,” for Best Holiday Spirit;
Clarkston Girl Scouts, with 100 people marching, for Best Use of Theme;
Adam Anderson with their entry of “Peanuts Christmas” for Most Creative STEM Float; and

Independence Elementary Girl Scouts with their theme of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” earning the Best Overall Parade Entry award.
By Team RUSH students Lauren Issac, Kyle Kaufman, Izzy Kupe, Alison Scheil, Parker Szachta, and Sadie Wheeler