Multiple ties among 2023 Steubenville Christmas parade winners

STEUBENVILLE -- Entrants in this year's Sights and Sounds of Christmas parade put in enough effort to warrant multiple ties among the category winners, said the parade's organizer during the awards ceremony Wednesday.

Mary Snyder said entrants have been "upping their game" to make the best floats possible. This year's parade received 75 entries, a ttal that has been climbing each year since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop-off from nearly 100 entries.

"We were really pleased to see the quality of entries this year, and I do believe that is the reason we have an unprecedented amount of winners that are tied," Snyder said. "I think the judges had such a hard time choosing."

Phoenix Scrap Metals rose from last year's second-place finish in the float category to take this year's grand prize.

Cardinal Operating Co. won the Mayor's Award. Mayor Jerry Barilla said he was impressed by the amount of detail placed into every inch of Cardinal's power plant-shaped float, including a small, "cute" cardinal placed atop a replica power line.

"A lot of effort went in, and it shows," Snyder commented.

Tyng for first place in the float category were Studio B dance center in Weirton, which took first place in the non-float category last year, and the Grand Theater, taking first in the category for the second consecutive year.

Marianne and Jon Cooper, who have been designing the Grand's float for about seven years, were present at the awards ceremony. Marianne Cooper said their creative process each year starts by picking a theme and evolving it further. The two are constantly changing elements during the weeks-long preparation period.

"We love the parade," she said. "We love to see kids smile, and that's the reason we do it."

Tying for second place among the floats were Cross Creek Tomahawks 4-H and the Harmonium Project. A four-way tie for third place included Boy Scouts of America Ohio River Council, the Friends of Beatty Park, the Center of Hope Friendship Room and Eastern Construction and Excavating Inc.

Taking first place in the non-float category was the Miller family for their Ford Taurus Wagon, decorated to look like the Griswold's Christmas tree-lugging station wagon from the 1989 comedy film "Christmas Vacation."

Consisting of Ross, Finley and Samantha Miller, the family and its wagon were not originally scheduled to participate in the parade. However, as Samantha Miller recalled, the family was approached by a police officer while parked at a gas station. The officer invited the family to ride in the parade, which would take place the following day.

A last-minute cancellation in the parade's lineup provided space for the Millers to join the parade and spread holiday cheer through their wagon, which has become a Christmas staple in Steubenville. Hailing from Bloomingdale, the Millers have been driving their wagon -- topped with a Christmas tree lit by an external battery -- since last Christmas.

"We just love the movie, and the thought of it made us smile," Samantha Miller said. "We found the wagon a couple years ago. … We tried it out last year, and people liked it. We did it again this year, people loved it.

"We just want to make people smile," she added.

Typically behind the wheel are Ross and Finley Miller, who hope to acquire a sports utility vehicle in the style of the one owned by the character Cousin Eddie from "Christmas Vacation." The two hope to bring their other brother on board to dress as the character and possibly have a stuffed rottweiler companion, akin to the movie's dog, Snot.

Finley Miler said of the wagon's impact on people: "It doesn't get old. The same people laugh all the time."

Second place in the con-float category went to the Jefferson County Humane Society, and tied for third place were Main Street Dance Company and the Sycamore Youth Center.

Each winner received a certificate and a 2023 commemorative nutcracker.

Snyder, who has been with the Visitors Center for 11 years and organizing the parade for just as long, said more than 7,000 people attended the parade on Dec. 2, based on an electronic count taken through cell phone tracking software. The day's clear weather certainly helped attendance this year, Snyder said, noting that weather has not always been agreeable in years past.

"Hopefully, everybody will try to outdo themselves next year," she said.