An oversized rig rumbles through John Day Saturday, Dec. 11, during the 29th annual Timber Truckers Light Parade.

Trucks decked out with thousands of Christmas lights hauled in the holiday spirit Saturday, Dec. 11, as John Day’s 28th annual Timber Truckers Light Parade rumbled down Main Street.

Well over a hundred people lined the sidewalk and braved the cold to cheer on the decorated logging trucks, commercial vehicles, Forest Service rigs and others. This year the parade had 30 participants.

The parade floats represented four different categories: farm and ranch, timber, commercial and community.

Longtime parade organizer Leslie Traylor, a John Day resident, said the parade was started by D.R. Johnson, who, at the time, operated Prairie Wood Products in Prairie City and Grant Western Lumber Co. in John Day.

The purpose was to showcase the importance of the timber industry in Grant County.

Traylor said the D.R. Johnson family continues to support the John Day parade as well as a similar parade in Riddle.

In the early years, Traylor said, a majority of the trucks — if not all — were log trucks.

The lighting displays of the parade floats, she noted, were extremely elaborate.

“They went to so much trouble,” she said, “so much expense to give us some beautiful, beautiful entries.”

Last year’s parade, Traylor said, underscored how significant the event is to the community. Due to pandemic restrictions, the organizers could not host an awards dinner and did not seek donations from merchants for prizes.

She said she asked the drivers what they wanted to do, and they told her, “We’ll have a parade anyway.”

“They didn’t get anything for (participating),” she said, “except maybe the satisfaction of heralding in Christmas.”

At the close of the parade, the participants gathered at the John Day Elks Lodge for chili, hot drinks and prize announcements.

Traylor has been involved in planning the parade for nearly 20 years.

She said that organizing the event every year is a considerable commitment.

Planning for the parade begins in early October. The committee members pick a theme and send letters to local businesses asking for donations to use as prizes for the parade participants.

Traylor said the final months leading up to the parade become especially busy with coordinating gifts and prizes and running around town. She said she has tried to step away from the planning in the last couple of years.

However, after driving into town, seeing the parade entries with their sparkling light displays and the people lined up on the streets, and then watching a video of the parade online on Sunday, she said she will likely always be involved.

“After watching all of the cars and the beautiful entries,” Traylor said, “I told my husband, ‘I’m probably going to keep doing this until I croak.’”

TIMBER

First: Rude Logging

Second: Iron Triangle Post & Pole

Third: Iron Triangle

COMMERCIAL

First: Tyler Nodine

Second: Madden Realty & JLM Construction

Third: Patriot Plumbing

FARM AND RANCH

First: Loop Ranch

Second: S&D Stock Horses

COMMUNITY

First: Living Word Christian Center

Second: Whiskey Gulch Gang

Third: City of John Day

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

First: Dakom Logging

Second: Rude Logging

SWEEPSTAKES WINNER

Rude Logging