Carol Sing, Parade of Lights to take center stage Saturday

By Deborah Rose

Voices will unite and creativity will shine on the New Milford Village Green Saturday (Dec. 16) when two seasonal events promise to bring a big splash of holiday cheer to town.

The annual Carol Sing at the bandstand will kick off the festivities at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Parade of Lights at 7:30 p.m.

The backdrop for the quintessential New England holiday tradition will be the 17 lighted trees that line the full length of the Green.

“I think (the Carol Sing) is one of the great New Milford traditions,” said Lou Mandler, chair of the New Milford Arts Commission, which sponsors the event.

“It’s one of the ways the Village Green brings the community together,” she said.

Sean Delaney, second assistant chief at Water Witch Hose Co. #2, agreed, adding how the collaboration between the fire department and the arts commission has been a positive experience that benefits the town.

“The parade, coupled with the Commission on the Arts’ Carol Sing, (makes) this the picturesque New England town,” Delaney said. 

He acknowledged the popularity of both events and the “hundreds, if not thousands of people” the Parade of Lights brings to the town center for “food and vendors.”

“This is really what the community is about,” he said.

Missy Hanlon will return again to lead the Carol Sing that had for decades been led by the late Al Bayers Jr. Hanlon will be accompanied by TheatreWorks youth and Ann Quackenbos on keyboard.

Battery-operated luminaries and songbooks will be distributed to the crowd, and hot cocoa will be available, courtesy of Dunkin’ Donuts.

Mandler stressed the tradition of the Carol Sing that was inaugurated in 1977 in conjunction with the arts commission by Skitch Henderson, then the conductor of the New York Pops and a New Milford resident. Henderson died in 2005.

It has been held annually, except twice, once in 2020 during the pandemic and another time due to inclement weather.

The Carol Sing is one of the few events that has been around for almost 50 years, Mandler emphasized.

At the conclusion of the Carol Sing, the festivities will rev up – and light up – with the Parade of Lights, organized by Water Witch.

Fire trucks, ambulances, motorcycles, cars and trucks, and commercial, farm and construction vehicles will make their way along the parade route to entertain the anticipated large crowd of onlookers who come from near and far.

Drivers will beep their horns, and join their passengers in waving to the individuals and families cheering on the decorated vehicles.

Somewhere between 150 and 200 vehicles are expected to participate, according to Delaney, who said he believes “the event will be better than last year.”

The parade will line up on South Main Street, then head up the northbound lane of Main Street, down the southbound lane of Main Street, turn right on Bridge Street, turn right into Patriots Way, head to Housatonic Avenue and end at Young’s Field.

“It’s going to be huge,” Delaney said, noting participants come from the region, including New York and Massachusetts. 

The parade began almost a decade ago, initially piggybacking on the fire department’s Santa Express. It grew quickly and has become “something bigger than we ever thought it would be,” Delaney related.

Participation is through word of mouth and posts on state Listservs. Anyone who wants to “bring some joy to the Christmas season” in this creative way reaches out to Water Witch to let organizers know.

Five trophies will be awarded: Best Overall/Best in Show, Best Overall Fire Apparatus, Best Commercial Vehicle, Best Jeep, and Mayor’s Choice. 

Deborah Rose/A variety of vehicles will participate in the parade.

Deborah Rose/Lights in all colors catch onlookers' attention.