Rain fails to wreck parade

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--Forget the old saying about rain and parades.

Nearly one hour of rain proved no obstacle for the many people who stood on the sidewalks of Minnesota Street Friday night for the annual Parade Of Lights and the St. Paul's Lutheran Church nativity scene that followed.

At 6 p.m. the parade started down the street as the rain fell. Beginning with the Heritagefest float, complete with princesses holding umbrellas and Narren wearing ponchos, and ending with Santa and Mrs. Claus riding the back of a Fire Department pickup truck, many parade participants were drenched by the time they got to the end.

While the floats drove by, paradegoers stood flat against the walls of the downtown shops. They huddled underneath awnings, some even watched the parade from the dry sides of shop windows. Most of the crowd, however, braved the rain and stood underneath umbrellas, jacket hoods, even plastic garbage bags with holes for their heads and arms.

Cherry Jeske, of Hanska, didn't mind the rain one bit. In the 10 years she's come to New Ulm for Parade Of Lights, she said she's never seen rain, although wind and snow have shown up before.

"It's great," she said standing among the crowd under the overhang outside Citizen's Bank. "It's amazing it went out in the rain."

Karl Walhholz, of New Ulm, braved the weather and stood just a few feet from the passing floats.

"It's just packed," he said of the crowd. "I'm surprised people are standing out here."

Once Santa and Mrs. Claus waved their last waves and wished their last 'Merry Christmas', a good deal of paradegoers quickly left for their homes or cars, leaving the streets flooded with traffic as well as rain water.

But while a good many people had gone home to dry off, the true faithful gathered in German Park for a living nativity scene put on by St. Paul's Lutheran Church of New Ulm. Some of the same people from the parade walked among the hay bales, animals and characters while the rain still fell. The nativity began with a Christmas carol 'O Little Town Of Bethlehem' and followed the Christmas story through to the point where the Three Wise Men brought their gifts to the baby Jesus.

It was at that point where events ended and the weather took over.

Jon Gohr, of New Ulm, walked though the crowd dressed in a robe to portray a Bethlehem townsperson. He said the purpose of the nativity was to spread a Christian message to all who would come.

"It could be better," Gohr said of the rain. "But I'm hopeful our message will get out anyway."

Heidi Streube stood not far away, sharing an umbrella with a friend. Streube, who is from Seattle, said the rain didn't bother her one bit.

"I love it," she smiled.