Nokesville Christmas Parade Delights Attendees

The WhoVille float travels down Fitzwater Drive in the 2014 Nokesville Christmas Parade.

For the past three years the Nokesville Christmas Parade has been a fun event that brought families and neighbors together. On Dec. 13, the parade saw what seemed to be its biggest turnout yet.

The parade, co-sponsored by the Nokesville Business Association (NBA) and Friends Uniting Nokesville (FUN), incorporated classic cars and trucks; Christmas themed floats; marching bands, cheerleaders and dancers; noteworthy citizens such as Citizen of the Year, Patti McKay; organizations, school groups and businesses; horse, dogs and other animals; and last but not least, Santa, riding on a Nokesville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department engine.

Tiger Cheerleaders had 81 participants in the parade.

Seventh-grade student, Samantha Sirk, got to march in the parade with 80 other cheerleaders in grades one through eight at The Nokesville School.

“It was really fun. It took a whole lot of hard work,” Sirk said, explaining they learned routines to several classic Christmas songs.

“We practiced over and over until everybody got it right,” said fellow squad member, Madison Chiarini, also a 7th-grade student.

Colleen and Laney Corrado talk about Spotlight Dance.

For high school senior Lanie Corrado, The Nokesville Parade was her third engagement of the day with Spotlight Dance Studio in Manassas. Corrado began her day performing at Sudley Manor Square with Santa, then performed at the Manassas Mall, before lining up for the Nokesville parade.

Nokesville Business Association members wave to friends in the crowd.

Mother, Colleen Corrado, explained how Spotlight is focused on performance, and the dancers had the opportunity to march in Christmas parades in Warrenton, Manassas, Baltimore and Nokesville this year.

Residents who attended the parade were happy to talk about their favorite parts.

“I liked the horses, and I liked the cars,” local resident Steven Moyer said.

His wife, Angie, said she enjoyed the marching bands best. Both Brentsville District High School and Patriot High School in Nokesville sent bands to the parade.

The horn section of the Patriot Band played festive music along the route.

Del. Rich Anderson (R-51st) even participated in the parade.

“Every year, I’ve made it since they starting doing it. It’s the best small town Christmas parade I’ve every been to,” Anderson said, elaborating that it reminds him of the parades he had attended as a child.

During and after the parade, the folks at the Center for Life Enhancing Dentistry on Fitzwater Drive gave out apple cider, candy canes and dental goody bags, saying they wanted to participate in the festivities.

Children and adults form a live nativity scene outside the church.

Then, as the parade ended, many attendees made their way down to Church of the Brethren to witness a live nativity scene. Children and adults made their way to the manger scene in time to a live reading from the Gospel, detailing the birth of Christ and visit from the Three Wise Men.

A live choir sang “Silent Night,” as people witnessing the event lit candles, passing the light from person-to-person.

Families pass around candles to light the darkness during the outside pre-Christmas service.

To the side of the scene, farm animals lay on the churchyard, to signify the animals in the manager.

Farther down the street, Santa exited the fire engine and walked towards the back of the church, preparing to see children during the holiday dinner. Proceeds from the dinner are to be donated to children in need at The Nokesville School and the local food pantry.

Nokesville Christmas tree welcomes people into the down town.

On the corner of Fitzwater and Route 28/Nokesville Road the tree at the shopping center was lit, an homage to the tree-lighting ceremonies that have been part of the Nokesville festivities for 12 years, and have given rise to the now annual Christmas parade.