Sunday: Parade-goers don't let name fuss spoil fun
BY DAVID HARPER AND KENDRICK MARSHALL, World Staff Writers
Saturday, December 08, 2012
Two parades on Saturday night in Tulsa gave local residents a chance to march to the beat of their own Little Drummer Boy.
The venerable Holiday Parade of Lights wound through the streets of downtown Tulsa, while the second installment of the Tulsa Christmas Parade was held at the Tulsa Hills Shopping Center.
The dueling events were the result of the controversy that sprung up after the downtown event shifted to the more inclusive “holiday” moniker in 2009.
Kim Breien, who attended the downtown parade on Saturday night, currently lives in Skiatook and noted she has witnessed similar battles where she used to live.
“I’m from California, so I’m used to everything being politically correct,” Breien said from her vantage point at Fourth Street and Boulder Avenue. “We went through everything like this before. It’s a shame, but it doesn’t surprise me.”
Shayla Knight said she has been coming to the downtown parade with her family ever since they moved from Houston to Owasso 12 years ago. She said she wasn’t going to let the name change disturb what has become a family tradition.
“We’re all God’s people,” Knight said.
Meanwhile, the second annual Tulsa Christmas Parade at Tulsa Hills Shopping Center drew crowds so large that spectators were standing on vehicles to get a better view of the spectacle along Olympia Avenue.
On the minds of some in attendance Saturday night were the stark differences between the dueling parades.
“That’s what it is all about,” said Lettie Saman of Tulsa while pointing to a passing nativity scene. “It’s about Jesus. It is all about him.”
Read more in Sunday's World.
Associated Images:
Amera Hammami,14, of the Islamic Society of Tulsa waves as she walks in the Holiday Parade of Lights Saturday. Hammami said Merry Christmas as she walked. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Girls dressed as angels ride one of the floats during the Tulsa Christmas Parade at Tulsa Hills Shopping Center on Saturday. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
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