ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Saturday began and ended clear and bright in Liberal, which extended to the evening’s annual Downtown Christmas Parade.
The night saw many bright floats and many from the community who turned out to see the town become merry and bright, which pleased parade coordinators.
“I first have to address the timing mishap, I know there was some confusion there because there were some announcements that had it at 6 p.m. and others that had it at 6:30 p.m. Thankfully, everything ended up fine and we got everything going at about 6:15 p.m., but we do apologize for any confusion there,” coordinator Earl Watt said. “We ended up with 38 floats entered in the parade, and I was overwhelmed by the number of people who came out to watch the parade and all the work that went into the floats that were showcased. I really liked the floats from Southern Pioneer Electric and Lanning Family Barbecue, and I enjoyed seeing the Eisenhower Middle School Warrior Band come out and be part of the parade, which really added to the atmosphere. I kept looking for the end of the parade, but more and more floats kept coming, so I was really impressed with how many people were part of the parade, whether they had a float entry or were a bystander. The weather that night was also absolutely perfect, we couldn't have asked for better conditions, and I was beyond ecstatic about that. For this being the parade's 25th anniversary, I thought it ended up being a great time.”
Watt said it is great to see the parade officially reach it’s 25-year milestone.
“I've had a lot of people come up after the parade and say 'Thank you for continuing this,' which I think is incredible. We started the parade mostly as a promotional avenue for local businesses to advertise during the holiday season, but it's grown and grown beyond that,” Watt said. “It's great how many people look forward to the parade every year and ask about the theme, what the prizes will be, how to sign up, etc., and we look forward to being back next year. The parade has been around long enough now, people expect it to happen, and it's really touching how much of a tradition it's become with people here in town. And this year, the City of Liberal also did an open house at City Hall so people could share their thoughts about what to do with Adventure Bay Water Park, and we had multiple vendors who set up small areas across the street that sold Christmas treats. There have been multiple ways the parade has grown throughout the years, and I can't say what the parade will be like year-to-year because there's ALWAYS something new, and it's been great seeing that throughout this time.”
This year also saw some special prizes, including a 1970 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce, which local citizen Dean Royce ended up winning.
“I honestly didn't think I would end up with the car, but it's definitely a pretty good Christmas present. I put my name in the drawing I believe on the first day everything was ready,” Royce said. “I didn't really have a good reason for putting my name in, I just thought it would be neat to put my name in there. I remember seeing the car parked outside the newspaper office one day and thought 'It sure would be nice to win that!' I was really shocked and surprised and at first, I wasn't entirely sure it was MY name called, I needed a minute to take everything in. I'm really excited to have the car, but now I have to think of where I'm going to park it.”
With multiple great prizes give out at the parade every year, Royce said people should get involved.
“I would encourage everyone, if you can, to put your name in for stuff like this, because you just never know how things will turn out,” Royce said. “It's also really fun and interesting to be part of something so big. I've put my name in at other past parades and ended up not winning, but I kept putting my name in and now I have a new car! Sometimes things turn out really well like that.”
Watt said there was much to enjoy about this year’s parade and said there are already some tentative thoughts about next year’s parade.
“We're definitely excited for next year, and the prizes especially are something people REALLY got into for this year. We gave away the 1979 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce and some other great prizes, and people should keep an eye out next year to see what we'll be giving away, because you never know,” Watt said. “The City of Liberal did some great decorating around the Third Street Fountain, the Christmas ornaments with the city logo look great and help make that area look great, as do the snowflake lights that were put up on the lampposts. The parade is evolving as the downtown area is evolving, and I think the parade does a great job showing what can be done with the downtown area in terms of making it a destination area. I will also admit we should have made it better known the parade ends at 6th Street, because we had several people lined up a few blocks after that who ultimately didn't get to see the parade, and we don't want anyone to miss it. We will definitely do a better job of making the parade route clear so people can line up somewhere where they'll actually be able to see it. If people want to go ahead and mark their calendars, the 2026 Downtown Christmas Parade will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026 on Kansas Avenue. I was really happy Dean Royce won the car, and I know he'll enjoy it for as long as he ends up having it, and all of the prizes were given out on the first drawing, which was great. I can't give enough thanks to Meade Lumber, Scantlin's Furniture and Terrazas Lawn Care for providing prizes for this year's parade.”
Overall, Watt said, 2025 saw another successful Christmas parade.
“I always say, the parade has very little to do with us and everything to do with the community. If people didn't put in floats or decorate or any of that, there wouldn't be a parade. I can't give enough thanks to everyone who entered a float and put in that time and effort,” Watt said. “Showing off the community is what the parade is all about, and the parade is still around after all this time because people in this community care and continue to come. I've had so many people tell me the parade is the beginning of the Christmas season for them, and that's truly what it's become over time. I also have to thank the City of Liberal for allowing us to use the road and helping clean the streets up beforehand and for traffic control and everything else they do to help. We might be the coordinator, but there are so, so many more hands involved who help run everything every year.”
