The History of the Bluffton Christmas Parade
Written by Gloria Underwood
Photography courtesy of Blufftonians
verybody loves a parade, especially at Christmas and especially in Bluffton, where the parade has become an honored -- if somewhat eccentric -- tradition. In 1971 Mayor Grady Messex decided that Bluffton needed a parade; Dianne Reynolds and Miriam Brown did the organizing, while Tanya Colcock w
as responsible for gathering donations of fruit and nuts for Santa, who arrived in a horsedrawn wagon, to give to children at Town Hall, where the parade ended in those days. Union Camp donated bags for the goodies. Sammy Frazier was the fi rst grand marshal. While you’ll probably not fi nd this information stored away in an offi cial bureaucratic file cabinet, dianne reynolds has a clear memory of this fi rst year. This effort required 4 - 5 months of writing notes and making phone calls; there were no e-mails, faxes, or answering machines in 1971. And, she recclal, “Everybody loved it.”
Whatever its beginnings, the parade has always been a hit; it is unpredictable, fun, eccentric, and irrepressible, just like Bluffton. Over the years, various elements have remained the same: the parade begins with the scream of the siren from the Police Chief, the grand marshal is someone beloved by the town, tow trucks and marching bands vie for attention, and Santa Claus makes at least one appearance. Children who have never seen snow sing about dashing through it. Candy bombards the crowd along the route. Onlookers and entrants exchange greetings and barbs, handshakes and hugs. Local and regional politicians wave and smile, nodding to acquaintances, while visions of potential voters dance through their heads. The Governor of South Carolina has ridden through, and the years that Babbie Guscio organizes the event, she invites the President of the United States.
Beauty Queens and their courts are a favorite for every parade, Bluffton being no exception. One of the changes in recent years has been an increase in the appearance of Child Beauties: “Little Miss Greater Bluffton” or “Little Mr. Pritchardville” share their brilliant smiles with onlookers. Bluffton also has had its share of self-appointed queens, from Shere Coburn’s earlier Queen of Bluffton and her court, Sandy Guhl as Miss Estill Beach and Jill Roberts as Miss Brighton Beach, riding together in a teal convertible, to the more recent Queen Diane Lee on her moped dragging the crab trap along behind her.
The Bluffton Buzzard, our town bird, is a popular entry, but his appearances are unpredictable and sporadic. He has been known to appear with Mrs. Buzzard; he has also been known to sail off to the high seas. Once he is reported to have shown up in a rather unseemly pair of pantyhose -- not a sight for sore eyes. The Baby Brigade was an early hit; fathers would push their infants and toddlers in appropriately decorated baby carriages, maneuvering into fancy fi gure eights and tipping them back into wheelies. Lots of kidlets have been strolled through the streets. A recent addition that was almost too-too much was the Bubba Ballet - a brave group of Branigar executives who wore camoufl age and pink tutus as they pretended to tour jete through the streets. The Bluffton Ladies Drill Team, the brainstorm of Cyndi Pride, is another favorite. These modern ladies completely redefi ne “precision drill team” as they march to their own beat. Two years ago, to honor the NYFD, they wore hard hats and, instead of drill bits, used miniature American fl ags in their routines.
Unlike many Christmas parades where the fl oats, marching bands, and beauty queens know their line-up weeks in advance and the cut-off date may well be before Thanksgiving, the Bluffton Parade has always accepted entries up until 5 minutes before the event starts - and it usually starts on Bluffton time. June Simoneaux laughs about the time the parade did start on time, but it was so short that the people who showed up late - which was just about everybody - missed the whole thing. This being Bluffton, the powers that be just turned the parade around and did the whole thing again in the other direction. It’s possible, she concedes, that’s when the parade started going in the other direction - the same route it takes today (In its earliest days, the parade began in the empty lot beside the Squat and Gobble, where the Piggly Wiggly is currently located, and followed the current route in the opposite direction).
According to the rather sketchy archival information, the parade had to be rescheduled one year due to terrible weather: a cold wind and “bucketsful” of rain was the surprise of 1989. No matter, the parade was held on Sunday after church, and the weather cooperated with a sunny 50+ temperature. This was the fi rst year that Scotts Meats was in its current location.
Parade Day has always been considered the perfect time for other events as well. The Church of the Cross sponsors its annual bazaar which began in 1985. The Methodist Church has traditionally had a bake sale with its claim being the famous Ulmer Bread. The Friends of the Bluffton Library hosts a “previously enjoyed” book sale across from The Store.
Some activities and entries have been one-time only. In 1987, parade goers could participate in The Eccentric Mile or Three Mile Race or take their critters to the First Annual Blessing of the Animals at the Church of the Cross. In 1988, Blufftonians could participate in the Paper Air Plane Challenge. In 1997, the Clydesdales made a notable appearance. And at least once, when Babbie was organizing the event, she invited the mayor of every town in the U.S. named Bluffton; fi ve mayors showed up. One year, a guy with a mask rode his unicycle through most of the parade, then disappeared before the end.
The parade has always captured Bluffton pride in the community and willingness to share. For a number of years, the Saturday before the parade was known as the Annual Town Cleanup- Before-The-Christmas-Parade Saturday. June at Scotts Meats would barter with the Hilton Head High School Band: if they would remain in the parking lot and play Christmas music for 30 minutes, she would provide them with sodas, chips, and donuts when they had fi nished. Famished and fatigued, they were happy to oblige.
As Bluffton grows, so does the parade. Two years ago, the parade was 1 1/2 hours long, and attendees complained. The streets from Town Hall to the Squat and Gobble are now crowded: it’s diffi cult for older adults to sit and see, and it’s harder for kids to claim their fair share of candy, but they manage. The number of Tommy’s Towing Tow Vehicles has increased each year, and it’s a little more diffi cult to fi nd your old friends to wish them the best of the season.
Some things, though, stay the same: the excitement and surprise on the faces of the kids of all ages, the sense of unity and community that brings the day together, the spirit of the season that proclaims peace and joy for all. Jeannie Bunton said about the parade one year that “Eccentricity flourished with reckless abandon.” Babbie Guscio once heard a child exclaim, “This is better than the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”
Whatever your origins, whatever your observations, come out, enjoy the parade, share a smile with your neighbors, and relish in a bit of Bluffton tradition. May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be - well - whatever.
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