Felton Horse And Hound Caroling Parade
By Gale McCreary
It was the holiday season of 2013, just a year after coming to Felton, that I asked my new found horsie friends if they wouldn’t like to join in a mounted parade through the streets of downtown Felton singing Christmas carols. We planned “reHORSALS” and attempted to memorize the lyrics, which we would sing to songs on our phones. We gathered in the then-empty library lot on Gushee Street and happily dressed our horses in holiday gear and lights. All went well until we turned on their décor at dusk and the horses panicked over all the sparkling and blinking. Between managing our jittery mounts, holding our phones and forgetting our lines, the caroling was a clear disaster. But the idea was launched, and we planned on next year’s improvements.
Gale McCreary and Santa lead the parade in the early days of the event.
The Second Felton Horseback and Dog Caroling was a better time, with calmer horses and a pick-up truck carrying Santa Joe, the infamous Joe Haselton, as the lead pianist and singer. Margaret Ingraham and I had spread postcard invites throughout the town, but in spite of the effort, few people joined us, and even fewer emerged from their homes to cheer us on. Each year we tried something new, including elves knocking on doors and another time, handing out candy cane notes. Over the years, the residents between Gushee Street and Plateau Drive have come to expect us, and more and more locals have joined our musical march. And every year we thank Chris Stewart and his merry muck cart for keeping the streets clean.
Santa Joe and Celeste warm up for the parade.
Our departure has always been at 5:00 pm from in front of the Felton Post Office, but our production has been greatly upgraded. Ladd’s Towing now generously provides Santa’s sleigh, one of their blazing flatbed tow trucks, fully enhanced to hold Santa Joe, his keyboard and speakers, plus a few ride-alongs. For safety, we have learned to keep only parade-experienced horses up front and separating the singers and the walkers behind the sleigh. Thanks to NextDoor and word of mouth, the crowd has grown to over a hundred warmly dressed families, including their decorated strollers, bikes, and leashed dogs. We hear comments like “This is one of my favorite holiday events — nothing commercial, just good neighborly fun.”
This year will be our best production yet! We have been invited to set up our horse trailer dressing rooms in the new Scarborough’s parking lot that is replacing Rite Aid. At the storefront, The Gold Standard Chorus will be giving us a pre-show of Barbershop Quartet and caroling sing-a-long. Join us at the front of the new Scarboroughs at 4:00 pm. Then promptly at 5:00 pm, Santa Joe and his talented daughter, Alecia Haselton, will lead the Horse and Dog Parade, with special caroling stops along the 45-minute route. All of this happens the last Sunday before Christmas, December 21st. Meanwhile, hope for a dry day, as rain will cancel this sparkly electrical event.
For more information about participating, please contact Gale McCreary, 805-705-3121.
Felton Horse And Hound Caroling Parade
Sunday, December 21 at 5pm
Meet at the former Rite Aid building across the street from the Post Office.
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