The Hometown Holidays Parade is the shortest parade of the year, and we always make the most of it by going 360 degrees around  the monument. Still, it's a three-song parade from Crescent Parkway to the Fire Hall. Since it was quite cold, most Heroes were grateful to get into the warmth of the Fire Hall. A few people even had to shed a layer, and we were surprised that Kelly was one of them.

We just played the Toronto Santa Claus Parade three weeks ago, and we were happy to have Tom, Anya and Don join us again. Our canine unit marched with us, too. Tara's husband, Bob, walked behind Kelley's Heroes and in front of Santa's horses with their two poodles, Petunia Sugar Biscuit and Attila. They looked especially festive wearing their new red sweaters. We were surprised by how much Attila has grown! When they marched with us in Livonia, Attila was just a puppy, and he and Petunia were about the same size. Now Attila is twice the size of Petunia and still growing.

After the parade, we always go inside the Fire Hall and play Christmas music in the midst of the craft show for about an hour. This year, the parade just happened to coincide with Pearl Harbor Day, so we also played The Armed Forces Salute to honor our service men and women.

This event marks the end of our 2013 season. We'll take a break for January and February, but we'll be back again in March starting with the Rochester St. Patrick's Day Parade.