An event attended by thousands of people every year, the Celebration of Lights Parade and Fireworks held in Poughkeepsie is the definitive extravaganza to kick off the holidays and put folks in a celebratory mood. Produced by the City of Poughkeepsie in conjunction with the Bardavon 1869 Opera House and the Poughkeepsie River District Business Association, the event will be held on Friday, December 4 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Main and Garden Streets. The parade, led by mayor John Tkazyik and members of the Common Council, will travel down Main Street, stopping at two tree-lighting ceremonies: one near Market Street and one at Dongan Square Park.
Look for your favorites amidst this lineup: the Amerscott Highland Pipers, the Poughkeepsie High School Jazz Ensemble and Middle School Choir, the Poughkeepsie Exempt Firemen’s Association Color Guard, DARE, the Arlington Rotary Club, the Columbia Elementary School PTA, Dutchess County Girl & Boy Scouts and several Hudson Valley Philharmonic brass ensembles – not to forget mentioning performances by Arm-of-the-Sea Theatre and IABAS Traditional Brazilian Band with 200 children from Warring, Clinton and Kreiger Elementary Schools. Thunder Road Cruisers will also supply several classic cars and a fl oat, and there will be a hayride sponsored by Al’s Garage. And last, but certainly not least, Santa Claus will arrive on a City of Poughkeepsie fire engine.
What would an event in Po-town be without fireworks? At 7:15 p.m., revelers will be treated to a winter fireworks display along Poughkeepsie’s waterfront by Legion Fireworks. Throughout the evening, an array of River District establishments – Amici’s, the Derby, Caffe Aurora, Mahoney’s, Milanese, Noah’s Ark, River Station and Spanky’s – will be offering great entertainment and food and beverage specials. Following the parade and fireworks, the Bardavon will present a screening of the family classic Mary Poppins, filmed in 1964. The movie starts at 8 p.m., preceded at 7:30 by a concert on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ to be performed by a member of the New York Theater Organ Society. Tickets to Mary Poppins are $5.