Edison junior parade bigger than ever

This story ran in the Metro section the day after the parade.

A crowd gathered on the streets of downtown Fort Myers on Sunday to watch the single most participated Edison Festival of Light Junior Parade in 61 years.

The mini version of the Grand Parade amassed a total of 3,000 participants who danced, rolled, skipped, and marched to celebrate the 70th annual celebration to commemorate Thomas Edison's life of achievement.

"It was great! The parade was so big that if you take every entrant and add 2 or 3 friends, relatives ... it just grows and grows," said Diane Maddox, the chairman of junior events who oversaw the parade. "We had double the amount of entrants and it lapped itself before the first section had even passed."

Maddox estimated the crowd at more than 20,000.

The Bright Beginnings Early School was just one of the groups to enter more than 200 walkers pulling tropical-themed wagons full of children.

"Everybody was so excited that they all wanted to come ... we had a record number of kids in this parade," said Linda McGlashan, director of the early school that is part of the Cypress Lake Methodist Church in south Fort Myers.

The school used 310 feet of fringe, 38 pounds of glitter and 39 surfboards to create a flowing trail of wagons that took home a first place trophy in the commercial wagon division.

"We built everything at the school and it was the most wonderful parade," McGlashan said.

The parade also was wonderful for 6-month-old Andrew Spring whose parents dressed him as a cow and decorated his stroller with felt, flowers and frill to create an "I'm Cowzy for Edison" theme.

"He cried during the first half of the parade and slept through the second part," said Lynn Springs, of Fort Myers, whose son took first place in the stroller division.

The big announcement of the afternoon came during the junior coronation and awards ceremony. Matthew John Powell Jr. and Sydney Reece Hall were crowned new king and queen of the junior parade.

"It was a fantastic parade for all of us ... bikes, trikes, wagons and walkers," said Steve Stage, outgoing president of the Edison Festival of Light during a speech at the Harborside Convention Center. "I"m glad everyone came out and had such a good time."

The Edison Festival of Light festivities continue on Feb. 16 with Crafts on the River, Music from the Heart and the Grand Parade in downtown Fort Myers.