We want to thank the many people who braved cold and rainy conditions to turn out for Shepherdstown’s annual Christmas parade last Saturday?as participants, as volunteers, and as spectators

We had a big parade organized, with nearly 60 units that included four marching bands, some interesting antique automobiles from as far away as Baltimore, and a large number of local organizations.

The weather forced all the bands, most of the autos, and many organizations to cancel. But the parade that remained still contained 29 units with lots of people, and the number of spectators was really quite remarkable for the conditions.

All in all, although the weather was dreadful, everyone still seemed to have a good time.

Those who marched in the parade deserve special recognition. They are: the Black Box Arts Center and Genesius Players; Boy Scout Troop 33; the Citizens Fire Company of Charles Town; Cub Scout Pack 33; the Dogs of Shepherdstown; the Evergreen 4-H Club and Little Pine Cone Cloverbuds; Freedom’s Run; the Shepherdstown Middle School Chapter of the Future Farmers of America; Joel Garner and his 1936 Buick; the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War; the Girl Scouts of Jefferson County; the Happy H-ers 4-H Club; Historic Shepherdstown; Jefferson County Sheriff Pete Dougherty; Miss Jefferson County; Mountain View Solar; Operation Christmas Teen; the Potomac Valley Audubon Society; River and Trail Outfitters; the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown; the Shepherdstown Community Club; Shepherdstown Mayor Jim Auxer; Shepherdstown Police Chief David Ransom, Jr.; the Shepherdstown Public Library; the Shepherdstown School of Dance; the Shepherdstown Visitors Center; the Shepherdstown Volunteer Fire Department; the Sons of Confederate Veterans; and the Speakeasy Boys. (If we’ve missed someone, let us know; because of the rain it was sometimes hard to tell exactly who was marching.)

Also deserving recognition is Bonnymeed Farm, which tried valiantly to participate with its horse-drawn carriage but didn’t arrive until about two minutes after the parade ended.

Special thanks are due to the volunteers who helped with the parade: Rachel Crum, Debbie Dickenson, Hans Fogle, Holly Morgan Frye, Matt Jaskel, Teresa Johnson, Tom Jones, Brianna Shuman, Peter Smith, Kaitlyn Snyder, Cassidy Watson, and Rie Wilson.

Special thanks, too, to the Shepherdstown Visitors Center, for underwriting the parade’s costs.

As always, it’s great to see so many people take an interest in our town and support its events! Shepherdstown is a great place, in no small part because it includes so many enthusiastic, community-spirited people! Let’s all do our best to keep it that way in the years ahead!

Sincerely yours,

The officers and members of

The Rotary Club of Shepherdstown