With Christmas fast approaching, there are so many ways to celebrate the holiday. Going back at least 80 years, one of the longest-running parades in the state, the Minier Christmas Parade has become a local tradition to celebrate Christmas. This year the parade was held on November 27th with the theme “Minier Memories”. This theme was put in place to acknowledge the generations of Minier residents that have watched and been a part of the parade.

The Minier Christmas Parade is also a great chance for organizations and businesses to have a float and get the word out about their organization or business. It is a great way to showcase the town and everyone in it.

A highlight of this year’s parade is that there will be one reindeer in the parade, adding to that magic of Christmas and surely the children’s excitement. When the children go to visit Santa after the parade in Veteran’s Park they are even gifted with a full-size Hershey bar.

When talking to Carolyn Hansen, Kiwanis Club President, she said one of her favorite parts is seeing how the children react to the Parade and seeing Santa. Something else she made a note of is how she has watched the kids grow up, going from watching the parade from the sides to actually being a part of the parade. 

The grand marshals this year are representatives of the Olympia School District. They have a number of administrators and nurses there, all of the transportation department, and Olympia West is also having a float in the parade where teachers and students are able to walk with it. This is the Kiwanis way of showing their appreciation to the School District for working hard to keep the schools open.

Despite the struggle of Covid this year and last, the Kiwanis club has managed to host the parade both years, working hard to make it happen. It takes many volunteers and members of the Kiwanis club to put together the Parade, but it is all worth it in the end. If you weren’t able to go to the parade this year, make sure to watch out for it next year so you can see all of the Christmas magic it brings.