Cold weather doesn’t dim joy of the season

Last Saturday afternoon, 8-year-old Johnathan Walcutt was out two hours before the 4th Annual Parade of Lights in Stanardsville began, working on Cub Scout Pack 174’s float.
“The campfire isn’t actually real,” he explained, holding his hands up, palms outstretched, as if the flame could warm them. “Those are red light bulbs inside the stack of logs and they’re lit by a battery.”
Young Walcutt couldn’t wait to get going, but parade organizer Alan Pyles was worried about attendance.
“With just 10 or 15 minutes remaining before the launch of Sherriff Scott Haas to start the 4th Annual Parade of Lights, the streets sides were bare,” said Pyles in an e-mail..  “I went inside to prepare our two emcees, Kyle Hanni from ESPN and Henry Graff from NBC. Minutes before the start time I emerged to take my post midroute only to find the street sides full from the Lafayette Inn to,  and slightly beyond, Celt Road.”
Meterologists had been predicting rain in the morning followed by inches upon inches of snow.
Though the storm bypassed Stanardsville, it had laid a white carpet all around the Town — in the mountains and in Ruckersville; in Harrisonburg, Madison and Culpeper.
“The weather did put a damper on what could have been, leading to a 40 percent cancellation by parade participants.” said Pyles. Still, “short many of our pre-street side performers and marching bands that were set, the community had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful and festive welcome to the true holiday season.”
No scheduled events were cancelled, but Santa Claus did not stick around for pictures after the Christmas Tree Lighting at Town Hall that followed the parade.
On the other hand, despite a turnout that was about half it’s usual size, the Christmas Hillbilly made a personal appearance at the annual Deanes Gospel Bluegrass Band Christmas Concert.
Between 300 and 400 people were gathered at the William Monroe High School Performing Arts Center to see the performance when he brought children from the audience up on stage to explain the meaning of Christmas.
The Deanes also introduced some new talent to their audience: Todd Googins of Charlottesville; 14-year-old Sarah Vanderveer of Ruckersville; and Tina Deane’s 5-year-old niece, Angelina Owen of Statham, Ga.
On Sunday, with the threat of a storm passed, the Grinch showed up for breakfast at the Stanardsville Volunteer Fire Department.
And, the Greene County Singers played to a packed house at both of their Stanardsville United Methodist Church performances.
The Greene County Singers’ music followed a Gospel-African theme, reported Record Correspondent Alex Carrier.
“There was a lot of hand-clapping and finger-snapping going on,” she said.