Groton Light Parade delights onlookers on a cold evening
Groton — A blustery Saturday evening was no deterrent for hundreds of people who staked spots along Route 1 to watch Groton's 18th annual light parade.
Though it was one of the first bone-chilling winds of the season, onlookers camped in the back of vehicles or toughed it out in a few heavy layers to watch floats from dozens of area businesses and teams march from South Road to Drozdyk Road to ceremonially light a Christmas tree.
Capt. Paul Whitescarver, commanding officer of Naval Submarine Base New London, commanded his own float at the head of the parade.
A number of fife-and-drum corps also took the lead, including the Deep River Junior Ancients. To the shock and delight of several kids in the audience, the Colchester Continental Fife and Drum Corps even shot off a musket several times.
Though the route was more than a mile long, onlookers were rarely out sight of a tanker lit up in red, green and blue, or out of earshot of a marching band.
Sponsored each year by the Groton Business Association and the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce, the light parade has been getting bigger and bigger each year, resident Sue Backinski said.
A native of Deep River, Backinski has attended the parade for at least 10 years and said it's great to see more and more fife and drum corps take part and provide music for the evening.
But her daughter Sally Kydd, 8, said she was there for one thing — to see Santa, who brought on a cheer as he arrived on a sub base Navy police patrol boat float, complete with his own team of elves who marched alongside. Santa went on to help light up the tree behind the Groton Shopping Plaza.
"He's my favorite," Kydd said.
Vendors walked up and down the sidewalks with shopping carts full of light-up wands, necklaces and cotton candy.
As they waited for the parade to start, 6-year-old Giana Miner was using her recently purchased light-up wand to cast spells on Pompea Finn, pointing the wand at her grandmother and pronouncing her "a frog ... or a witch."
She quickly changed her answer to "a princess."
Finn said she has taken Miner to the light parades since her granddaughter was 2. Miner's favorite parts of the parade are "candy, giving high-fives and getting to see Santa."
Her grandmother forgave her earlier spells as she watched Miner leap around the sidewalk wearing her oversized fur coat.
"She's all excited," Finn said.
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