Downtown Sarasota Holiday Parade lets it snow community spirit

Some 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.