The weather outside was a bit frightful, but parade participants, volunteers, and spectators showed great holiday spirit during the 2013 Fuquay-Varina Christmas parade!
Mike Wheless of The Q Morning Crew was on hand to serve as the Grand Marshall of the event. Mayor John Byrne, Town Commissioners, County Commissioner Phil Matthews, and our very own Steve Tucker, 2013 Board Chair and Lisa Schreiner, 2014 Chair Elect, rounded out the dignitaries who led off the parade. But, the heart and soul of our great community followed as fire engines, dancers, business owners, churches and their members, Scout Troops and many more braved the cold and damp weather to kick off the holiday season with a great deal of spirit!
Every single person up and down Main Street was excited to see the parade coming. The little kids bundled in their blankets and snow suits, some being held by their parents waved the entire time. Adults and kids of all ages were also happy to see the diverse parade entries.
The chamber wishes to thank Sheetz for sponsoring the event, the many volunteers, and all the parade participants who helped make the event a great success. Indeed, even when the weather isn’t perfect, it’s great to know you can count on a community of people to come together to create a memorable event right here in Fuquay-Varina.
Many thanks also go out to the Fuquay-Varina High School Band and its band director, Mr. Matthew Edwards and to the three local auto dealerships, Don Jenkins Carolina Ford, John Hirsch, Capitol Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Mike Reeves, and John Hiester Chevrolet, Sharon Gagel who helped organize the sparkling new vehicles to keep our dignitaries warm. And finally, a special thanks to Bobby Harrington who ferried Mayor Byrne and the first Lady Patty Byrne. He made sure that they were toasty warm.
Mike Wheless Presented with Scepter & Crown
During a radio interview on WQDR 94.7 a few days prior to the parade, Mike and his cohosts joked that he’d be presented with crown, scepter and cape for serving as the Grand Marshall. During the interview Barb Hance handled the question deftly but was inspired to surprise Mike at the event. Listen to Barb’s interview with Mike and see his picture in the gallery below. It was a treat to meet one of the Country Music Award winners and have them in our Parade and we are pretty sure that the parade watchers were excited to see him as well.
Press the play button to hear the radio interview. [sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://fuquay-varina.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2013-Christmas-Parade-Interview-WQDR-fuquay.mp3″]
2013 Christmas Parade Photo Gallery
Here are some pictures from the parade. Click any thumbnail for a larger view.
Photos courtesy of Phil Roche Photography.
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