Tuesday, December 07, 1999
Lebanon festival reins in 70,000
Horses, stores, parades all crowd-pleasers
BY JENNY CALLISON
Enquirer Contributor
LEBANON — The 11th annual Historic Lebanon Christmas Festival and Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade made some history.
Police estimated Monday that 70,000 people visited the historic downtown area Satur day to watch the two parades, shop and enjoy festival entertainment. That is at least 10,000 more than the festival drew in 1998.
People weren't the only ones setting records. There were more horses, too.
Jingling horses pulled 109 rigs along the circular parade route. Many carriages were antiques and included Amish carriages, a vintage Kroger delivery wagon, a turn-of-the-century doctor's carriage and a fully restored 1898 fire engine. The horsepower ranged from tiny ponies to a team of eight massive Clydesdales that rumbled down the street, drawing gasps from onlookers.
“The horses are wonderful. They come in different sizes and shapes,” Jennifer Muzquiz of Middletown said. She and her son, Jimmy, 15, returned for this year's event after enjoying it for the first time last December. Ms. Muzquiz's mother, Sally Martindale of Middletown, joined them Saturday.
“Last year it gave me chills,” Ms. Muzquiz said.
Some horses slowed before the reviewing stand and preened. Others seemed to smell the barn, racing down the street. Still others seemed cowed by the festivities.
“I've trained harness horses for 34 years,” said EmmorBaily, a parade organizer. “Each one's got their own personality. Some are dumber than a box of rocks, others have more brains than the people driving them.”
Parade organizers had expected 114 horse-drawn units to participate. Although not all showed up, there were more units than in previous years.
Before and after both parades Saturday, visitors spilled into the shops throughout Lebanon's historic downtown. Officials said they will look into ideas for handling more traffic in the future.
“Our traffic was nonstop from morning until we closed,” said Anne Passatore, manager of Beneath the Tree, a Christmas shop at 132 E. Mulberry St. “We got here at 9 a.m. and people started coming in around 9:30. We stayed open Saturday night until the last customer went out the door.
“It was awesome.”
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