Christmas parades are a relatively modern addition to the Town of Kingstree's celebration of the holidays, with the first parade held in 1949. Prior to that, numbers of Kingstree citizens would drive to Sumter to view its Christmas parade.
In 1949, the Kingstree Chamber of Commerce sponsored the town's first Christmas parade on November 30 at 3 p.m. During that era, almost all businesses in town closed on Wednesday afternoons, making Wednesday afternoons a perfect time to hold a parade. Thirty units participated in what bystanders were quoted as saying was "the biggest crowd seen here since Barnum and Bailey came to town about 1907." The Kingstree Police Department estimated the crowd at between 7,000 and 10,000. Spectators were massed several deep over all the blocks of the parade route. That year, the Chamber also sponsored a Community Carol Sing at the Courthouse on Christmas Eve, which was broadcast on radio station WDKD.
The next year, 1950, holiday festivities kicked off with a huge downtown concert at 7:30 on Monday night, November 27. All county mayors, Sam Joe Haselden of Hemingway; Alton McCollough of Lane; J.H. Brown of Greeleyville; and Rodgers Harrell of Kingstree, were invited to participate, as were all choirs in the county. The Kingstree High School Band, led by Helen Culp, played Christmas carols and the singing was led by the High School Glee Club, directed by Jean Hamilton. The concert took place around the monument in the middle of the intersection at Main and Academy streets. After the concert, the town's Christmas lights were turned on, as well as a lighted double-barred cross, the emblem of the Christmas Seal drive to fight tuberculosis.
The 1950 Christmas parade was held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 13. The procession started on Highway 52 and proceeded to the intersection of the Andrews Highway and then marched back into town, disbanding at the courthouse. Crowd size was estimated at larger than that for the 1949 parade. Mrs. Henry McFadden as Miss Liberty; J.F. Timmons as a Southern Gentlemen and Cecil Hanna as Uncle Sam, led the parade, dressed in costume, and on horseback. In addition to numerous floats and vehicles, there were five high school bands and 40 riders mounted on horses.
Nineteen fifty-two's parade on December 3 was the culmination of a five-day "Holly Days" sales promotion, sponsored by downtown merchants. The parade wound through eight blocks, and at its end, which concluded with Santa perched on top of a fire truck, the Christmas lights throughout town were turned on.
Newspaper reporter Ann McIntosh recounted a story associated with the 1953 Christmas Parade. The Kingstree Parent Teacher's Association needed a float for the parade. Mary Reid, then executive secretary for the Kingstree Chamber of Commerce, had an idea and sent a telegram to Ross Manning, owner of the Ross Manning Shows, in Miami. Much of the equipment for the Ross Manning Shows spent the winter in the New Warehouse in Kingstree, with two men Gerald Deschaines, known as Frenchie, and Warren Wullen, known as Shorty, as its overseers. Frenchie and Shorty lived in a trailer inside the warehouse, where one of them had to be present at all times from October until March when the show went back on the road. Their days were spent painting, repairing, reupholstering, and polishing brass.
Mary Reid knew that Frenchie and Shorty had just painted ten merry-go-round horses, and she was asking for permission to use them on the PTA float. Ross Manning's telegram granting that permission didn't reach Kingstree until the night before the parade. Frenchie and Shorty worked most of the night to modify a trailer lent to the PTA by B.O. Browder to accommodate the horses. Other organizations using the warehouse to decorate their floats were well ahead of the PTA, and it seemed unlikely that the float would be ready in time. However, St. Alban's donated a long roll of white paper, and Carolina Power & Light lent them green streamers and white fringe. By 1 p.m. the float was finished, with a rainbow on the front, five pairs of prancing horses to be "ridden" by members of the student council, and a sign underneath the rainbow, showing a pot of gold and the slogan, "Our Children; Our Greatest Wealth."
The parade of 1955 is thought to have drawn the largest crowd, with an estimated 20,000 people turning out from Kingstree and surrounding areas to witness 35 floats; seven bands, including the Parris Island Marine Band, and Santa riding on a giant sleigh pulled by eight white reindeer, led by Rudolph. The parade route that year was down Main Street to Highway 52 and up the highway to the fairgrounds. Traffic was halted on US52 during the parade. Judges viewed the parade from the Carolina Hotel and awarded prizes to the best floats. First place went to Chelsie's Kiddie Shop and Roses 5 & 10. Second place went to International Paper, with East Side Motors taking third place for a float depicting the Williamsburg County Courthouse.
The 1956 holiday season began a new tradition in Kingstree with the Jaycees sponsoring the Miss Merry Christmas beauty pageant. The parade was moved to Friday afternoon, with the pageant beginning at 8 p.m. at the armory. A dance, also at the armory, followed the pageant. Karol Kalisky was parade chairman that year. Fran Semeno and his orchestra provided music for the dance. The parade included 30 floats, 20 beauty queens, the Shaw Air Force Base Band, and 60 tiny majorettes under the direction of Newell Clarkson. The parade lined up on the corner of Brooks Street and Hampton Avenue. It proceeded down Hampton to Main Street, turning right through the business district to Longstreet. From Longstreet, the parade turned right on Mill Street, right on Jackson, left on Main Street and then turned left on Academy, disbanding at Kingstree Elementary School. Betty Lane Cherry of Orangeburg, the reigning Miss USA, was the Grand Marshal for the parade.
While snow and ice are usually not a part of Christmas parades in Kingstree, 1958 proved to be an exception. A severe winter storm swept through the state just days before the parade, which was scheduled for December 12. Some other towns postponed their parades to a later date, but the Jaycees decided to go ahead with all the festivities. The sun was shining by Friday afternoon, although there was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground. They had expected a 90-unit parade, which was somewhat limited by the weather. However, it was noted that the line-up was still impressive, and thousands of spectators braved the 40-degree temperatures to watch. Grand Old Opry star Minnie Pearl was to be Grand Marshal of the parade and a judge for the Miss Merry Christmas pageant. News reports of the day seem to indicate that while she did not get here in time for the parade, as she and her husband had flown into Columbia before driving to Kingstree, she was a judge for the pageant, as well as providing her usual comedic monologue. The Pilot Club presented her with a spray of poinsettias.
Next week we'll look at Christmas in the Sixties.
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