The Christmas season will kick off Saturday in Flandreau with the annual lighted parade led by Parade Marshal Fred Smith.
Smith, 77, is a long-time educator who was born and raised in Flandreau and taught speech, literature and language arts at Flandreau Indian School. He previously taught at South Dakota State University and at Eagle Butte, and after retiring from education, worked on 62 deployments for FEMA, responding to disasters across the country. He retired from that career in 2014.
In 2016, he was diagnosed with ALS. One of the symptoms of the disease, Bulbar Palsy, has affected his speech, eating and swallowing, his wife, Donna Smith, said.
Parade participants still have time to sign up for “The Great Adventure”-themed event that starts at 6 p.m. Lineup starts at 5:30 p.m. south of the Moody County Courthouse.
“We can still take floats right up until the last minute,” said Emily Pieper, parade organizer.
Weather should be perfect, she said. “It’ll be appropriately cold but not too cold,” she said. “It’s just a fun thing to bundle up and come down.”
The Team of Angels will warm up the crowd from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Veteran’s Center before the parade with a newly organized soup competition. Guests get a sample of each soup entered and vote for their favorite. Cost is $5 with money raised benefitting people with medical expenses.
Merchants also will pass out treats. Bar X Bar will have hot cocoa, and the Flandreau branch of First National Bank in Sioux Falls will have hot apple cider. The Rescue Church plans to pass out candy canes, Pieper said.
Trophy categories this year will be best youth, community and business floats.
To have an entry in the parade, call Pieper at 864-1515. To enter a soup in the contest, call Holist Sutton at 530-7064 or Marty Skroch at 553-0869.
