The Best Thing I Saw This Week: The Lowrys Christmas parade isn’t like any other

The last time I saw a horse was at a Philadelphia Eagles playoff game during their Super Bowl run. That horse kicked a man in the chest.

So when I was invited to the annual Lowrys Christmas Parade on Dec. 17, and was told there were only horses and tractors involved, I was all in.

No, I wasn’t hoping a man would get his chest literally caved in by a horse. But once you’ve actually seen something like that, it’s impossible to not have at least some respect for horses.

The official parade rules weren’t complicated.

If you wanted to participate, you had to use farm equipment, farm animals or your own two feet to travel the parade route. Cars, trucks, jeeps, golf carts, UTVs, ATVs, lawn mowers or construction equipment were not allowed.

Participants primarily rode horses and tractors.

And those present created a bit of a game within the event.

Pick a spot on the parade route and write your name on it. If a horse poops on your spot, you win a prize. (Spoiler alert: I did not win.)

The parade, first held in 1982, brought out the small community in full, with several farmers, departments and organizations participating simply to wish bystanders Merry Christmas.

Floats aren’t allowed to display anything political. Christmas and the holiday spirit was the order of the day. You could see that and feel it.

Entire extended families had come to spend quality time together.

Children came equipped with umbrellas. But not for the slight chance of showers forecast that day.

The umbrellas were instead turned upside down and set at the side of the road to catch copious amounts of candy canes, peppermints and other sweets thrown by parade participants. Sausage biscuits were thrown out too. And there was even a float that handed out milk from local dairy farms.

The kids chanted loudest for the milk.

Yes, louder than they chanted for Santa Claus.

The parade is a big event for town of Lowrys, and even bigger beyond the small town in northern Chester County.

The town of Lowrys has a population of fewer than 200 people. But thousands of people attend the parade every year. Some camp out in advance so they can secure a good spot to watch.

I didn’t appreciate how big the event was, until I had to park almost a mile away and walk to the parade site. The crowd already had arrived.

Dana Hamilton was raised in Lowrys and still lives there. She said she’s amazed at how big the Christmas parade has gotten.

“It has grown so much,” Hamilton said. “It’s so popular that people, not just from Chester, will come to it, but people from York County and Charlotte and all over. We have family who comes in from Charleston, Columbia and Lexington, and they come just to see it every year because it really is the best parade.”

I want to thank Patrick Hamilton for inviting me to the parade. I appreciate the hospitality you, your family and friends showed. It truly was a festive Christmas experience.

I truly had an amazing time.

Editor’s note: If you’d like to invite Michael to your event, send email to assignmentdesk@heraldonline.com

This story was originally published December 24, 2022 at 6:00 AM.