Blacksburg ushers in the holiday season with Winter Lights Festival featuring Christmas parade

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The night was perfect for a Christmas parade … clear, a seasonably cold 35 degrees, and a small town in the mountains of western Virginia. It was the Winter Lights Festival and Christmas parade in Blacksburg as crowds lined the streets to watch the show … and entrants didn’t disappoint.

I walked out of the house and left my camera behind so had to use my iPhone for photos. Sorry for the blurry images and sometimes-poor lighting … but the merriment of it all comes through in the looks of happiness on children’s faces and the festive atmosphere. It was perfect.

Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted children along the route.

Virginia Tech marching band.

Horses horses horses. There must have been more than 50 horses and riders in the parade — beautiful!

Thank you for your service.

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Winterfrost Farm from Radford had a large group of horses in the parade. Winterfrost Farm is a non-profit horse rescue located in Radford, Virginia. Our mission is to take in, care for, and rehabilitate horses in need, creating programs that engage and educate the community while giving the horses training, a job, and a purpose.

Reagan Miles is the heart and soul of Winterfrost Farm. Reagan works full time at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech as a large animal technician. She devotes all of her free time and much of her salary supporting Winterfrost Farm’s rescue horses. Right by her side you’ll find Sheila Miles, Reagan’s mom and right hand woman at the rescue. With combined horse experience of over 70 years, Reagan and her mother have dedicated their lives to helping horses in need. Through Winterfrost Farm and Ride-A-Rescue, they continue their work rescuing horses, while offering horseback riding and educational programs to the New River Valley community using rehabilitated horses.”

Rescue horses and adoptions.