Parade honors memory of former Wentworth deputy

The Christmas spirit was alive and well in Wentworth Saturday morning as the town’s annual parade made its way through town.

The parade included a hearty mix of professional and homemade floats as well classical cars, cheerleaders and of course, Santa Claus.

The 2011 Wentworth Christmas Parade was held in memory of former Wentworth Deputy Clarence Cheshire, who died Jan. 17.

Many families came out to see Santa and take home handfuls of candy. Mayodan residents Chandler Joyce and her mother Julie Joyce had similar ideas in mind.

“There was so much candy this year, and that made the parade a lot more fun,” Chandler said. “I really liked the reindeer float at the end with Santa.”

Julie said, “It was a great day for a parade and it was very family-oriented, which is something I really enjoy. We decided to come for the first time this year after hearing about it from the Wentworth Fire Department.”

Draper Elementary School Principal Russell Vernon and his family came out to support the Wentworth Fire Department, where he is a volunteer.

“I really liked seeing some of my former students and staff members from Wentworth Elementary School and I enjoyed seeing some of my current students from Draper,” he said. “We just want to support our community and do what we can to help.”

His wife Amanda Vernon said, “Seeing the local people and familiar faces in the parade is what I really enjoy. Santa is always good and our son Carter loves the candy.”

This year’s parade featured around 60 entries, according to Town Clerk Brenda Ward. She said she thought former Wentworth Deputy Clarence Cheshire would be proud of what they accomplished on Saturday.

“He (Cheshire) arranged much of the parade before he passed away, so he was definitely responsible for a lot of its success,” she said. “We really missed him today, and I think he would be pleased with how things turned out.”

She said putting on the parade was really a community effort, with volunteers from the local fire departments helping out as well as the sheriff’s department. Debbie Paschal and Judy Wall helped corral the judges and local farmer Lance Gunn volunteered his John Deere tractor for members of Wentworth Town Council to ride on. She said it wouldn’t have been possible without the collaborative effort of so many people.

Mayor Dennis Paschal said this year’s parade was a great one.

“We had a good group of floats this year, and we appreciate everyone who participated and came out today to make this a great parade,” he said.

This year’s winners included the Wentworth Panthers Cheerleaders, who took home first place. Second place winners were from Cub Scout Pack 701 with the float “Santa’s Workshop,” and third place winners were members from the Rockingham County Historical Society Museum and Archives with a classic Christmas display. Taking home the prize for best marching group were members of the Rockingham County High School Air Force JROTC.