By WESLIE STRATTON
Moapa Valley Progress
Area residents bundled up to enjoy the fourth annual Mesquite Parade of Lights held Wednesday, Dec. 5 on Mesquite Boulevard. The festive holiday event doubled as a food drive for the Salvation Army and the Virgin Valley Food Bank.
According to event co-chair Tracy Beck the tradition originally started out as a city tree lighting ceremony.
“That didn’t work out well because it got cold and it was late,” Beck said. “So we decided ‘Lets do the parade instead,’”
Beck added that someone along the way suggested doing the event as a food fundraiser which was easily added into the mix. From there, a popular community tradition was born.
The Mesquite Senior Center and Rec Center accepted canned goods prior to the event. Boy Scouts kicked off the parade by walking the parade route with shopping carts to collect any food items brought by spectators.
Beck said that 26 different organizations signed up to participate in the parade. Each were required to give a 15-pound minimum donation to the local food banks.
Parade participants included the Virgin Valley Over The Hill Car Club, Hughes Middle School, Mesquite Police Department, The Lindi Corp, Ken Garff Ford, Mesquite Fire and Rescue and more.
Those who attended also enjoyed the beautiful spectacle of various modes of transportation entirely decked out in Christmas lights. These included a horse drawn wagon. One float produced snow-like bubbles that showered over and delighted spectators.
Children scrambled to collect treats thrown by participants. The crowd sang along with those who played Christmas carols.
According to Beck the event surpassed the goal of 1,000 pounds of food donations. Actually, a total of 6,000 pounds of food was donated by the various organizations and private parties involved.
