The Parade of Lights began it’s dazzling march down Cortez’s Main Street Saturday night, featuring the theme “Blessings of a Community” in honor of this year’s host, the Elks Lodge.
Despite the cold, spectators were ready for the lights to warm their hearts. The community showed up in a dense crowd of observers along Cortez’s main thoroughfare as a caravan of floats brimming with holiday delight inched along.
Up from last year, 70 floats went down Main St. for 2025, competing in nonprofit, commercial and other categories, judged on music, lights, creativity, theme and workmanship. Last year’s floats were numbered at 65 entries.
Four Corners Board of Realtors, as in past years, organized the parade, now in its 36th year.
“This is one of the best events of the year as far as bringing people out from the whole community,” said Bruce Burkett, a pastor at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Cortez.
Two new categories have been added: band and a people’s choice award for floats. Spectators voted for the latter. Many were already setting up chairs and bundling in blankets an hour before the march began.
Michelle Morris, a longtime organizer with the Four Corners Board of Realtors, said in past years, onlookers have said “I wish so and so had won.”
“This way people can put in their two cents worth,” she said of the new public voting opportunity.
“And feel like they’re a part of it instead of just having the judges choose,” said Breezy Obletz-Kingery, Four Corners Board of Realtors president and host of the event’s YouTube livestream.
Floats displayed QR codes for voting on the people’s choice slot.
Judges for this year were:
- Jackie Cook (Vectra Bank)
- Nicci Crowley (LOR Foundation)
- Oma Fleming (Dolores County 4-H)
- Jim Muller (Kiwanis)
- Vicki Shaffer (Montezuma County Search and Rescue)
“It was super fun,” said Patrick Allen Jackson, who rode a Christmas light-covered bike and dressed up as ‘DJ Santa,’ wearing a gold chain and leopard print Christmas hat. “It seemed like there were more floats. It felt smoother overall.”
Jackson joined alongside FTI Wifi’s float, a company who’s speaker he helped set up. Jackson is a longtime DJ in the area.
Lights, as can be expected, were everywhere. Christmas lights ensnared tractors and wrapped around hoods of cars and trucks. They illuminated from marching band instruments. In one instance, they were observed on a firefighter’s helmet. In another, they were placed snugly around the body of a leashed dog.
Santas Clauses waved. Reindeer antlers, snowmen, candy canes and Grinches appeared again and again, all while judges diligently watched from a raised platform set up on Market St.
This year’s Santa Clause-by-helicopter arrival was unable to take place, according to Morris.
“For safety reasons (the helicopter company) decided to take only medical flights at this time time and couldn’t do non-emergency flights,” she said.
“It’s a great time for us to come together and celebrate the community,” said Jacqlynn Miller, who works for Main Street Brewery and Restaurant and offered another hot chocolate stand. “If that includes handing out hot chocolate, then we’ll do that.”
Commercial category
- First: Kustom Diesel Towing
- Second: R&B Oil Field Services, Inc.
- Third: Sunshine Rides
- Honorable mention: Maxwell Real Estate and Maxwell Development
Nonprofit category
- First: Lewis-Arriola PTO
- Second: Cortez Area Youth Activity Center
- Third: Cortez BMX
Other category
- First: Battlerock School
- Second: Montezuma County 4-H
- Third: Ute Mountain Child Development Center
Best band (new this year): Montezuma-Cortez High School Band
People’s choice award (new this year): Montezuma County 4-H
“The judges said it was really awesome to see so many turnout, not just from Cortez, but from all over,” said Morris.
“All the little cars, the Ute Mountain Ute princess one – they were just really impressed with all of it. They wish they could give a lot more prizes out.”
This article was updated Monday morning to include a photo of the judges.
