December 15, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
The Alexandria Christmas parade delighted holiday lovers of all ages Saturday afternoon.
This year’s grand marshals of the parade were three veterans including 92-year-old Billy McClanahan, who served as a US Army Private First Class in the Korean War and Army Sergeant Dora Stranathan and her husband Air Force Sergeant Michael Stranathan. Their float stopped in front of the reviewing stand and the veterans were recognized from the stage for their service by Alexandria Mayor Beth Tripp who had gifts for each of them including American flags donated by State Representative Michael Hale and a Korean War patch presented by Mayor Tripp to McClanahan.
The parade also featured many crowd favorites including the DCHS band, Smithville’s Frosty Flakes led by Bee Tubbs Trigueros, vintage automobiles, horseback riders and horse drawn wagons, pageant royalty, and of course Santa.
After the parade, drawings were held for prizes, most of them donated by Mayor Tripp.