Graniteville parade celebrates the holiday season with music, merriment
Dec. 4—GRANITEVILLE — Classic cars, local government officials and airborne Tootsie Rolls were a part of Saturday's scene along Canal Street, with the Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville Christmas Parade taking place. The parade drew more than 100 entries and thousands of spectators despite light rain during the first few minutes.
"There were a few puddles we had to dodge, but other than that, it went pretty smoothly," said Midland Valley High School senior Daisy Gonzalez, who is the drum major this year for the Mustangs' marching band. "Unfortunately, the woodwinds had to take cover before the event started."
Parade participant Darrell Sammons, representing Veterans Mobile RV Service, said he was particularly impressed by the number of families spread along the route. "My biggest thing is family, and I have a family business, and to see those families out there, even in the rain, to celebrate, was amazing," he said.
Some parade participants included a note of thanksgiving, as in the case of a fire truck bearing a banner acknowledging that the apparatus was funded by Capital Projects Sales Tax IV — the "fire tanker project," in particular.
Parade organizer Keith Glover, with the GVW Fire Department, said this year's event had "80-something entries," with 116 units, accounting for the fact that some entries had multiple components, such as Jeeps and pickup trucks.
"It's a very well-coordinated event," Gonzalez said. "In the past four years, we've never had any issues."
The situation is highly familiar for at least some of the participants, and represents one of six parades for S.C. Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, whose territory includes parts of Aiken, Edgefield, Saluda, Lexington and McCormick counties. Massey noted that his 2022 Christmas parades come in daily pairs and include Graniteville and McCormick (both Dec. 3), Edgefield and Batesburg (both Dec. 4), and Midland Valley and Saluda (both Dec. 10).
