- April 28, 2024
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Students at Jump Dance company celebrate as their snow machine is activated, just before the start of the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyAdam Sperber, 10, takes a turn sitting in the driver's seat of the 1948 Ford fire truck that Warren Middleton, a State Farm real estate agent, used to host Santa Claus.
Photo by Ian SwabySofia Carlson, 11, of Stage Door Studios, takes to the company's float as the parade begins.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe SRQ Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol marches in the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyFirefighter / EMT Scott Hanlon waves to the crowds.
Photo by Ian SwabyNeviaeh Most, 14, watches the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyMiss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt, a former Nokomis resident and Pine View student who now lives in Utah, rides in the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyApryl Habner, 10, Deniyla Brown, 7, Ulissa Habner, 12, Jionni Haill, 3, Nayland Giles, 13, and Dr. April Glasco, founder of Second Chance Last Opportunity
Photo by Ian SwabyStage Door Studios students wave the flags of various countries.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences float makes its way down Main Street.
Photo by Ian SwabyEllie Porter greets the crowd as she rides past.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of Miss Sarasota Softball celebrate the parade's theme of Christmas around the world.
Photo by Ian SwabyParticipants in the parade wear strands of Christmas lights.
Photo by Ian SwabyDenise and Bill Hanna ride as Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch, with Dark Side Comics.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe parade helped usher in the holiday season.
Photo by Ian SwabyFamiliar characters walk the streets with Dark Side Comics.
Photo by Ian SwabyJack Williams juggles clubs aboard the Circus Arts Conservatory float.
Photo by Ian SwabyCircus Arts Conservatory students Jocelyn Williams, 13, and Tasman Henry, 16, tower above the crowds on stilts.
Photo by Ian SwabyEaston Nock, 8, rides the Batmobile as The Penguin, with Dark Side Comics.
Photo by Ian SwabyMacie Miersch, Gianni Salazar, and Noah Rodenberger walk the parade as Clara, the Nutcracker, and the Mouse King.
Photo by Ian SwabyLillie Olson, 10, and Violet Olson, 12, helped represent Suncoast Carts Unlimited.
Photo by Ian SwabyPamela O' Connor, Wendy Rojas, Nasiel Cardentey and Edith Richman of The Booty Factory
Photo by Ian SwabyThe Sarasota Ski A Rees perform part of their skiing routine on the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyJose Florez walks the parade with CreArte Latino Cultural Center.
Photo by Ian SwabyJonathan Tedrick walks Winston and Jackie Hiatt walks Cozumel, with the Humane Society of Sarasota County.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe fire truck carrying Santa Claus approaches.
Photo by Ian SwabySanta Claus arrives, with Tara and Cooper Middleton, aboard the fire truck.
Photo by Ian SwabyAldana Vasquez, 7, meets Santa Claus.
Photo by Ian SwabySome residents found the heat outside frightful on Dec. 2, but outside that night, they still said it was delightful.
It might have been the flurries of "snow" that filled the route of the Downtown Sarasota Holiday Parade.
Yet the experience, which this year had a theme of "Christmas Around the World," had much more than wintry spirit on offer.
CreArte Latino Cultural Center, which serves as a creative hub for the Latino community by promoting different art forms, was among the organizations eager to share its work with the community.
Eager enough, in fact, that it managed to decorate a float in less than three weeks, after making the decision to be involved in the parade for the first time.
“I was very nervous, because I didn't know if it was going to work,” said Carolina Franco, art director and president, noting that the efforts paid off, with a festive display that included numerous lights and various props.
Tom Haber of Samoor Grotto said the organization, which works with underprivileged children, normally gives quietly in the background, while the parade offers a chance for it to be visible one time a year.
“It’s really neat to be able to give back to the local community; it’s honestly all we do," he said.
According to Tara Middleton, the artificial snow was an appealing feature for kids, who have not had a chance to experience snow amid the climate of Florida.
Along with some new Christmas lights, a snow machine was a newly-added fixture on the 1948 Ford fire truck owned by her husband Warren Middleton, which was featured in the parade for the second year and hosted none other than Santa Claus.
