Parades of Lights

Photographs by John Verner
By Cynthia Hochswender

The holiday season “parades of lights” might seem hokey—to the uninitiated. A bunch of fire trucks and farm vehicles wrapped in holiday bulbs, driving through the village center on an ice-cold evening, honking their horns like a fleet of mad geese? 

But there’s a reason why they’re an unerasable entry on the annual calendar of most small towns in Dutchess County (and nearby Litchfield County, Connecticut). First of all, they’re fun, not just for small children but for everyone. Most parades are paired with other seasonal activities, such as the lighting and decoration of the town’s holiday tree. Carols are sung, cookies and cocoa are enjoyed. Sometimes Santa makes an appearance.

Underlying all the festive joy, however, is an important clue to how these small towns maintain such a high quality of life with very limited resources: Everyone helps out. The stars of all the parades of lights are the fire and ambulance volunteers (yes, volunteers) who leap out of bed in the middle of the night to help their neighbors in situations as mild as a beeping fire alarm and as traumatic as structure fires and motor vehicle crashes.

“The holiday parades are a chance for the firefighters to be together in a non-emergency situation and to have some fun,” explains Joseph Perusse, who is both a New York State Police trooper and a Millerton fire volunteer. 

Emergency responders from New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts take part in each others’ parades—just as they take part in the 911 calls of their neighboring towns. It’s a system known as “mutual aid,” and it’s what happens when there are multiple emergencies in multiple locations, such as car crashes on an icy night, or a tragic massive fire that requires more trucks and volunteers than any single town can muster. 

Last year, Perusse says, there were trucks from 20 towns and three states participating in the Millerton parade.

To find the holiday parade of lights in your area, visit the town website and look at the calendar of events. Some towns don’t bother to post this information online because “everyone knows when the parade is!” If you’re not sure, call town hall and ask for the town clerk. The first parades of the season are held right after Thanksgiving; they’re usually staggered so that the fire and ambulance companies can take part in each others’ events.

The best-known regional parades are in Red Hook, Pine Plains, and Millerton (which hosts a weekend full of activities including hayrides, sidewalk sales, craft activities, and the screening of a holiday film at The MovieHouse on Main Street).

For those who hanker to drive in their own parade of lights, the Dutchess County Fairground in Rhinebeck hosts an “opposite” event, in which civilian cars are invited to drive through hundreds of lit displays in the guise of holiday trees, snowflakes, and more. The beneficiary of this year’s Wonderland of Lights is Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley.  

For dates and ticket prices, go online to thewonderlandoflights.com/dutchess-county-fairgrounds