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Community Corner

In 1952, First Rochester Christmas Parade Brought Santa, and a Calliope, to Town

Here's a look back at the humble beginnings of the Hometown Christmas Parade, which celebrates 60 years on Sunday.

Last December, writer Tiffany Dziurman-Stozicki delved into the history of Rochester's . As part of our coverage of this year's 60th annual parade on Sunday afternoon, here is a look at that column.

The parade debuts

Rochester's first Christmas parade took place on Dec. 13, 1952. Sponsored by the Lions Club, the parade was organized to emphasize a "happy Christmas season."

Newspaper coverage for the parade, however, was rather ho-hum. Nine days before the brand new event, the Rochester Clarion gave it a small front-page headline that read, "December 13 Is Set For Parade for Old Santa." Following that were 20 short lines referencing clowns, local WXYZ-TV star Justice "Cowboy" Colt, Santa, and a free kids show at the Hills Theatre in downtown Rochester following the parade.

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In its post-parade coverage, the Clarion published three photos – one for each of the marching bands – with the headline, "Hundreds in Rochester See Xmas Parade."

Parade highlights included the Rochester, Avondale and Highland Park high school marching bands, a few floats and a young lady playing the calliope. Santa topped the event, "arriving in a cutter drawn by a pair of horses." Floats were awarded prizes with first place going to

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Cowboy Colt either didn't show or wasn't as impressive as the calliope, since the paper didn't comment on him. Maybe that's not surprising since the calliope, if you've ever seen one, is quite a spectacle. A big, complicated-looking instrument, the calliope uses gas or steam to produce sound through large whistles. That would have been a good photo.

The Clarion reported that "many hundreds of people ... came away highly pleased and full of praise for the excellent showing made by the community." The paper went on to state that many enjoyed the parade so much, they hoped it would return.

Parade takes off

In 1953, the parade was Rochester's biggest attraction of the year. The Clarion increased its parade publicity for the second year stating that the new Rochester tradition would be "gigantic with clowns, music and floats."

As always, Santa was the main attraction and the Clarion teased readers about his method of arrival. The paper lightheartedly suggested Santa could arrive on a flying saucer or parachute from a government jet. The calliope returned, as did marching bands and the free post-parade movie for kids at the Hills Theatre.

It was a huge success with the largest crowd ever for a parade of any kind in Rochester.

By 1956, the parade had grown to 30 floats and six bands. Thousands now turned out for the annual event despite inclement weather. Parade day in 1956 was reported to be the rainiest day of the year. Clowns, marchers, bands and floats began their procession at North Hill on Main Street. They traveled south to Second Street, then on to Walnut Boulevard and north to the American Legion Hall, where the public mixed and mingled after the parade.

Rochester Regional Chamber assumes responsibility

In the early 1960s, the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce assumed the planning and financial responsibility of the parade. The transition led to larger parades with more participants. In 1962, President of Rochester Village Roy Rewold was the grand marshal. Santa arrived in town riding shotgun on a stagecoach and the Selfridge Air Force Base Drill Team entertained the crowds. Service organizations, homecoming queens and the Rochester Fire Department also joined the procession.

Each year, the parade was reported to be "bigger than ever." The Rochester Jaycees helped sponsor the 1973 parade, which reportedly had more entries than previous years with 26 floats, six bands and 10 marching units. Float prizes were awarded to Adams High School, Campfire Girls and the Newcomer's Club.

The tradition continues

Changes in parade routes, floats, musical entertainment, costumes, themes, sponsorships and grand marshals are inevitable. In a way, the Rochester Christmas Parade is history in the making – it reflects the life and times of the community, as well as its growth and popularity.  

Yet the more things change the more they stay the same.

Sixty years later, Santa continues to take time out of his busy schedule to visit the children of Rochester, parade-goers line downtown streets in anticipation of a good time, and families enjoy post-parade meet-and-greets sponsored by the Chamber and local businesses.

The parade begins at 1:45 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Tienken and Rochester roads. It travels south through downtown Rochester, ending at Third Street. The parade will be broadcast live on WXYZ Channel 7.

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