A ‘record-breaking’ Xmas parade
Last Saturday’s Dannevirke Christmas parade was phenomenal, organiser Suresh Patel says.
“It was brilliant and on par with last year’s record-breaker,” he said.
“The calibre of the floats was outstanding and a lot of time and effort had gone into most of them and there was a good range and variety of floats which all added to the vibe on High St.”
Patel said the work done by Steve Wallace, who acted as MC in the centre of town, interviewing those on floats as they passed by was “brilliant”.
Not only did the parade draw large crowds, there was a spin-off for the Fantasy Cave, with 159 people visiting during the two hours the cave was open on Saturday, Cave Dweller Liz Edwards said.
“We had a lot of people from Hawke’s Bay who make the annual pilgrimage to the parade and the cave,” she said.
Sue Berry, chairwoman of the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce, which organises the parade, said she couldn’t think of any other event in town which involves so many.
“The entries were spectacular and I didn’t envy the judges,” she said.
With Dannevirke Mitre 10’s sponsorship, organisers were able to offer monetary prizes for winners and runners up in each category.
At Monday night’s prizegiving, Chamber member Hamish Illsley made a special presentation to Mr Patel, acknowledging his outstanding efforts in bringing the parade together.
“He’s so passionate.
“This guy starts organising in June and really drives the parade along,” he said.
The KB Ford team took out the champion float prize and Barney Mabey, aka Elvis, said they were “over the moon.”
“The win was so exciting,” he said. Roly Ellis, one of the three judges, said the variety of floats was incredible.
“There were so many youngsters involved which is good because they’re the future of our town,” he said.