Lighted Parade Sees Massive Turnout

Kearney’s Magical Night Lighted Parade took place in downtown Kearney on Saturday, December 12. The event saw a large turnout and was a huge success for the Kearney Enrichment Council and the City.

Best Group Winner: Mayor Randy Pogue and Board of Alderman

The “reverse” parade was forced to start early due to cars lined up on Washington Street and north and southbound Platte Clay Way. Viewers of the parade drove through stationary floats parked along Washington Street. The event was to end with fireworks at 7:30 pm, but because of the outstanding turnout, the parade portion continued well after 7:30.

“What an amazing turn out, and show,” stated Kurt Hamilton of the Kearney Firehouse Community Center. “A huge thank you to all our parade entries who did an amazing job putting on a show.”

The event garnered far more interest that organizers anticipated. Although exact attendance estimates are not available, the Enrichment Center’s Facebook invitation received over 4,800 “interested” responses. In light of the overwhelming support and huge turnout, the Community Center is looking forward to next year’s parade.

“We learned a lot, along with having to fight a lot of COVID restrictions. We are looking forward to doing the event next year, as a normal driving parade,” stated Hamilton.

The float entries were judged and participants won awards in the following categories:

Best Group: Mayor Randy Pogue and Board of Alderman

(Bulldog) Spirit: Westside Church

Best Business: North Pole Reindeer Farm

Best Youth Interaction: Mason Dirt

Most Unique: Kearney Parks and Recreation

Best Float: Jones Family Chiefs Fans (Mark Jones)

Light ‘em Up: RE/MAX Advantage

Be sure to watch KPGZ News video coverage of the event on the KMO-TV Weekly News Recap on Thursday night at 6:30pm. The video news recap airs every Thursday night at 6:30pm on Facebook Live, YouTube, Vimeo, Rumble and on the KPGZ website at 1027kearneymo.com.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story