Photos: Parade of Lights

Nearly 30 floats brightened up downtown Bigfork at the annual Parade of Lights on Saturday, Dec. 7. First Interstate Bank took home the $350 first place award for their “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”-themed float. The display included a Christmas tree with misfit toys, and iconic characters from the 1964 stop-motion film like the yeti, Rudolph and Yukon Cornelius.

“We made a lot of the decorations on the float. It was lots of fun and everybody pitched in,” said Becca Brandewie, a financial service representative at First Interstate. It took the First Interstate crew around six days to make all the pieces and costumes, plus another few hours to assemble their float, she said.

Flathead Lake Lodge took second and Real Life Church finished in third. Honorable mentions went to RCA Montana Pro Rodeo and Straight Blast Gym Bigfork.

“We were super exited to have almost 30 floats in the parade and really appreciated how many people came and came early,” said Bigfork chamber executive director Rebekah King. “The shopkeepers and restaurants I talked to said they had a great day.”