First place winner in emergency vehicles at the Russell Parade of Lights on Dec. 14 was Chester Fire Department’s antique Russell Parade of Lights first place winner of the emergency vehicles was Chester Fire’s antique fire truck.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
RUSSELL — Dec. 14’s Russell Parade of Lights had the biggest crowd she’d ever seen, said organizer Missy Castro of the town’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
This was Castro’s first year back as an organizer, after starting the parade in 2000 when she was just 20 years old and working for the Fire Department.
“The department went to a parade of lights in Enfield, Connecticut, and we had so much fun. When we got back, I said that Russell needed something like that. The town had little things that happened around each holiday, but not one big event like this,” Castro said.
She said she went to the fire chief that year, who said she could run with it as long as she got an officer to sign off as a co-organizer. “I don’t remember how many we had that first year, but it went well.” Castro said she kept it going until 2007 when she moved to work in Pittsfield, and “thankfully” the Parks and Recreation Committee kept it going after that.
Castro said if it weren’t for COVID-19, next year would be the 25th parade.
This year, she said she can’t say for sure how many actual emergency vehicles participated, but she counted 37 total vehicles, which she believes is a record for the parade.
The first-place winner of the emergency vehicles was Chester fire’s antique truck with the blow-up Dalmatian. The first-place non-emergency category was the Grinch tractor, according to Castro.
