New Holland community gets a great start on the holiday season

[December 07, 2023]   New Holland once again delivered a successful fun-filled exciting night with their annual Christmas parade and soup dinner on Saturday, December 2nd.

Twins, Parker (L) and Stella Landstrom waiting
for the parade to start

The lineup for the parade started at the New Holland Community Center traveled down Pekin Street, around Vine Street, and came to a stop in front of the New Holland Fire Protection District (NHFPD).

The parade started with Norma Juhl as the Grand Marshal and was followed by 16-20 floats, semi-trucks, tractors, and cool cars and concluded with Santa’s and Mrs. Claus’s sleigh.

Those participating in the parade practiced their pitching skills and filled the air with lots of candy, stuffed animals, and Bomba kids' socks, for all the spectators to fill their bags.

The Best in Parade, winning $100 for first place, went to Hollander’s 4-H, second place was NH-M Choir winning $75 and the third-place winner of $50 was the Village Pub.

Once the parade was over and Santa and Mrs. Claus took their spots inside the NHFPD, people of all ages came in out of the cold and filled the tables and chairs, with most standing in line waiting to tell Santa what was on their Christmas list. Even the Grand Marshal had a few requests.

New Holland Fire - Nick Yarcho, Caleb Crawford,
Chad Cleary, Ed Davison, Dusty Eyrse,
and Danny Dean
Front: Cory Bell and Daniel Goin

The NHFPD enjoys helping and bringing the community together, and for many years has prepared and served the after-parade meal as a non-profit event. This year they served hot chili, vegetable soup, hot dogs, and lemonade to the public after the parade.

Long-time school friends came together
to share a holiday picture.

Christmas joy was running rampant with kids of all ages, parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, singles and couples, newborns, and even a few animals. Even some of those unpredictable teenagers stood in line just to get a picture with Santa and their friends .

Christmas Parade Chairman, Val Goin had plenty of volunteers made up of people on the NHFPD, their spouses, and people from around the community who helped with the organization, clean up, and putting the firehouse back in order.

Goin also noted that there was a community Christmas light and decoration contest this year with some remarkable entries.

Winners of that contest were the homes of Sharon Wright & Gary Warren, Chris & Amy Cochran and Valerie & Daniel Goin.

Planning for next year's New Holland Christmas Parade has already started and will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 6 p.m.

The New Holland Christmas committee would like to give special thanks to all that attended, NHFPD for taking care of the food, and to the following sponsors for the past two years:

• Advanced Foam Insulation
• Agland FS
• AHW LLC
• Brandt Agronomic Services
• Bro-Mac & Sons, Inc.
• Carousel Printing
• Crappy Chicken Productions
• Encompass Grain
• Jennie Dean Mowing
• New Holland Banking Center
• S.K. Davison Inc.
• Shelton Mowing
• Village Pub
• And a very special thanks to John Lorek with Illinois Ability Sports for the Bomba socks and stuffed animals for the kids.

It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, a canine or an infant there is just something about Christmas lights and parades, sharing good food, and watching the thrill of seeing and hearing others melt on the lap of Santa. We have to believe that in one way or another, the story of Christmas, the giving, the joy, and the gatherings give each one of us the hope we crave, a good spirit to share, and the dreams we need, even if it’s just once a year.

[JA Hodgdon]