A large crowd lined Old Dixie Highway in Lady Lake on Saturday morning to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.
More than 70 organizations and five marching bands preceded old St. Nick down the mile-long parade route. Weather was ideal for the marchers although Santa looked like he might have been a little warm.
Hundreds of children scrambled for candy while their parents and grandparents looked on. The children were thrilled to see the antics of Clown Alley #179 as they marched down the street.
Other crowd favorites included the Villages Precision Golf Cart Drill Team which impressed the crowd with their precise maneuvers. Both the Villages Twirlers and the children from the Superstars Twirling Academy impressed everyone with their baton skills.
Assorted classic cars were a followed by a mini parade of custom ’57 Chevy golf carts from the Villages club of the same name. Lady Lake Mayor Jim Richards waved to the crowd from the back seat of an antique car.
Both the Lake County Fire Rescue and the Villages Public Safety Department were well represented by a number of firetrucks which were favorites of all the children along the route. Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell walked the route. Both the Lady Lake police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s department did a fine job of directing traffic and keeping both marchers and spectators safe.
Kling Towing was another favorite of the crowd as they had decorated their large trucks with a number of Christmas figures including Snoopy flying in an airplane. Other commercial entries included Too Your Health Spa, whose marchers wore elf costumes, and Uncle Donald’s Farm which had a number of farm animals on display.
A number of youth groups including both Boy and Girl Scout troops marched as well as the Girls and Boys Clubs. Both the Little League and soccer teams had marchers on display. Marching bands included the Leesburg High School band and the marching Bulldogs from Howard Middle School from Ocala.
