By Contributing Writer Ava Vaccarella
Photo credits: Rutherford Chamber of Commerce, Tara Giacalone, Romy Marchesani, Kim Bogosian, Catherine Nimmo, and Kirsten Szalkiewicz
Rutherford’s yearly parade presented by the Rutherford Chamber of Commerce was a great introduction to the holiday season this year, taking place during the Thanksgiving break on Saturday, 11/26. All of the featured faces and vehicles joining together began the celebration on the west end of town sometime after 4 pm and made their way across its streets shortly after its start. This year's Grand Marshal was Ron Darby of ERA Justin Realty.
This was the first of the many seasonal celebrations to take place for Rutherford in the month of December, as the town’s lighting of its Christmas tree was followed by the parade, occurring on Park Avenue at around 5 pm.
To further reflect the efforts and interests of Rutherford’s people, a large number of local organizations were seen making up a majority of the procession, such as the Rutherford Irish American Association and the Rutherford Congregational Church. In addition to the above-mentioned groups, also pictured were the town’s members of the Girl Scouts and representatives from Relay for Life; but, perhaps one of the most famous guests of the night was Santa Claus himself!
The community’s first responders were also seen throughout, such as several volunteer firefighters and a handful of the department’s firetrucks, creating a put-together conclusion to the trail of the parade.
While this holiday parade takes place every year, there is no denying that its annual occurrence provides a great source of comfort in the anticipation of the Christmas and Hannukah holidays. It is certainly something that unifies and lifts the spirits of those participating or simply watching the parade. Something to look forward to each time the season rolls around again.
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