By Ralphine Major

It was a warm, sunny December day—perfect weather for a parade in East Tennessee!  On Saturday, December 12, 2015, the Second Annual Corryton Christmas Parade full of floats including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), all sizes of vehicles, and lots of beautiful horses lined up behind the ballfield.  The parade route made its way past the library and the post office through the heart of Corryton.  Beyond the Corryton Senior Center and the Corryton Beauty Nook stood the building which was once a landmark of the area.  For many years, the office building for Corryton’s only dentist and doctor in the community was a hub of activity.  The dentist, Dr. W. R. Idol, and Dr. A. D. Simmons, family doctor, are both deceased; but they certainly left a legacy for us.

The Washington Presbyterian Church, known for its traditional Apple Festival in the fall, won first prize for their horse-drawn wagon.  The two beautiful, black horses dressed in silver harness and pulling the wagon full of church members looked like a classic scene right out of the movies!  Piddle Diddle rode in a float pulled by Grady Lett’s 1948 Orchard John Deere tractor driven by Lett’s son-in-law, Stacy Womble.  One of Lett’s two other John Deeres in the parade pulled Santa’s float.  “This was our second annual of what we hope is a continual affair for Corryton,” Parade Coordinator Joe Longmire said.  “We had eighty-five entries which was twenty more than last year.”

Piddle Diddle had lots of fun waving back at all those little ones watching the parade.  By the time the parade crossed the railroad tracks and passed by Corryton Church and Rutherford Memorial United Methodist Church near the end of the route, the penguin was ready to jump off the float and head for cooler temperatures!