Woodstock
But for many, the annual horse and carriage parade is, hooves down, the highlight.
“It’s kind of a unique parade,” with only equines, said Nicole Jorgensen, executive director of High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program. “It’s neat to see everyone dressed up, and the kids get so excited.”
The event is one of the nonprofit’s four signature fundraisers. With a suggested donation of $25 for each rider-horse pair, it usually brings in about $2,000.
It’s traditionally had a Victorian or “Currier and Ives” type of theme, and the majority of participants do dress in such attire, which “we strongly recommend,” Jorgensen said. But in the past few years, trends have drifted in another direction.
“We’re seeing a lot of Santa Clauses and Santa’s family,” she said.
Yesterday, the jolly man’s elves also made a good showing.
In the staging area in the east end of the village, horses munched on clumps of hay while riders donned their costumes and walked around, trying to stay warm.
Thanks to the bells attached to their red and green elf suits, several members of Clever Clovers 4-H Horse Club jingled as they walked.
The kids, ranging in age from 5-15, joked with one another and looked after the horses, which didn’t appear to mind their new fuzzy reindeer antlers.
Their first time taking part in the parade, some of the children served as marshals, while others rode three horses and a pony that had been rescued by Cheryl Manning, of South Royalton.
Members of the Royalton-area 4-H club often ride the animals, which is a help to her, said Manning, a former 4-H leader who rode with the group, dressed as Frosty the Snowman. “I need to keep them working.”
The parade was just one of the many activities the club has participated in this year. They’ve also done community service events and recently took part in a horse clinic.
“I want their love of horses to not just be about riding,” and for them to “love everything about horses,” said the club’s leader, Kim Thornton.
And she wants them to have fun while they’re learning.
Judging from their enthusiasm, “I think we’re pulling it off,” she said.
Yesterday, the club was named “best group,” one of seven awards given out at the parade every year.
Participation was quite high this year, with 26 or 30 entries, Jorgensen said. Some were returnees, while others, like the 4-Hers, made their debut.
For years Lyme resident Katherine Perkins had enviously eyed the Wassail riders, wishing she was among them. But there was always an obstacle; the timing didn’t work out, or she didn’t have the right horse.
Until this year, when she brought zyn, whom she bought last summer. She is very easy, “the perfect horse to do this with,” said Perkins, who yesterday received the “Best Individual” award. “She’s one of those special mares that don’t come around very often.”
Last month, Perkins started work on their costumes, which included a thick burgundy colored cape with white trim for herself and matching tassels for zyn.
“Hopefully nothing will fall off,” she quipped before the start of the parade.
Riders and their mounts came from across the Twin States and from farther afield, including towns in Massachusetts and New Jersey. The Green Mountain Horse Association, which in the past had coordinated the parade, provides free stalls for horses coming from out of town, Jorgensen said.
They’re not the only ones coming from out of town. Many people travel to the village year after year for the annual weekend-long festivities, sponsored by Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce. Tom and Jennifer Pilkington have been wassailing there for two decades, and they have the pictures to prove it.
Connecticut residents, they were married in South Woodstock and own a house in Woodstock, which Tom Pilkington said he considers “the prettiest town in the state.”
Her favorite time of year is when they return to Woodstock for the parade, Jennifer Pilkington said. “It’s just so Christmas-y.”
The weekend is “huge” for area businesses, and a lot of local artisans participate in the craft fair, Beth Finlayson, the chamber’s director, said last week. It’s also important for local nonprofits, such as Pentangle, which puts an “enormous” amount of effort into the historic house tour, she said. Wassail Weekend “generates income and an understanding of what they do.” And this year, the weather cooperated. “We have snow,” said Finlayson, who was expecting 3,000 or so people to attend. “It looks wassail-y.”
Under cloudy skies, the parade wove through the downtown, where spectators stood seven deep in some places, and circled the green, which also was packed with people.
The allure would be no surprise to Peter Thornton, a member of Clever Clovers 4-H Horse Club.
The 13-year-old had hoped to take part on horseback, but when a busy schedule made that impossible, he gamely agreed to ride his “air horse,” an inflatable prop from a safety demonstration he and his cohorts gave last month. Goofing around with his fellow elves in the staging area, Peter, whose mother leads the 4-H group, said he’d been looking forward to the procession.
“I knew it was going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “Horses? In a parade? It’s fantastic.”
Wassail Weekend continues today. Activities include the holiday craft fair, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Billings Farm and Museum; ice skating with Santa, from 2:30 to 3:50 p.m., at Union Arena; and a choral performance of Handel’s Messiah at 4 p.m. at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church.
High Horses will continue celebrating as well, with an open house today, from noon to 3 p.m. Visitors can decorate horse treats, make wreaths, and have their pictures taken with Napoleon, who is new to the herd. Jorgensen said the miniature house is “very photogenic.”
Aimee Caruso can be reached at acaruso@vnews.com or 603-727-3210.