Parade and visit from Santa kick off Christmas season in Goshen 

Goshen’s annual Christmas celebration began and ended with music and cheers.

Children and adults lined the street near Town Hall to listen to local musicians and watch the Christmas parade that has only been around seven years.

“I think we had a good crowd,” said Goshen Town Clerk, Traci Shaver.

Unlike other parades in the area, candy was allowed to be thrown from floats and vehicles on Friday night and the children squealed as they ran to get their pieces.

Parade entries made their move down the street, one by one. Motorcycles, beauty queens, businesses, horses – and then Santa.

Jaci Rushing, 6, said with no doubt that it was the big guy in red she was the most excited to see, adding that she’d already asked him for a Kindle Fire for Christmas.

“We’re here to support the town and to see Santa,” said Rushing’s mother, Kimberly. “Getting to watch her watch the parade is the most fun for me.”

Teresa Register, a kindergarten teacher and Rushing’s aunt, said she was happy the town had created a way for the community to get together and celebrate Christmas.

“It’s nice to be here – all together,” Register said. “It’s special.”

The SheBANG! cloggers, Jeffery Knight, Justin Sanders and Sawyer Whittaker provided entertainment after the parade and children were invited to visit with Santa to whisper their wishes to him.

“Everybody is just so busy these days,” Shaver said. “It is nice to take time out for something like this and see everyone. It’s very nice to be able to do that at Christmas.”