Middleburg Just Loves a Parade

Middleburg Just Loves a Parade

By Leonard Shapiro

Five years ago, Christmas in Middleburg Majordomo Jim Herbert got a call from local businessman Ron Poston, wondering if there might be an opening in the annual Christmas parade for a group of highly-skilled Hispanic riders, all living and working in the area, to strut their stuff down Washington Street.

One of those riders worked in Poston’s construction firm, and Herbert never hesitated.

Photo © by Valerie Buller- Rough Coat Photography

“We had six riders in 2015, and they were definitely crowd-pleasers,” he said. “The next year, there were 25, and the next year they added a dozen women. They come out in full Mexican cowboy regalia, their skills are amazing, and people just love them.”

The “Charros” and all the parade participants surely will be shown that same love again on Saturday, Dec. 7, when an iconic event that began in the mid-1970s kicks off at 2 p.m.

It will be preceded at 11 a.m. by the Middleburg Hunt, hounds and all, also parading through town, with many other activities scheduled, shops and restaurants open for business and five food trucks available in the BB&T parking lot. There’s a craft show at the Community Center and Breakfast with Santa at the Middleburg Charter School.

Foxcroft students will face paint children on Madison St. And an adult choral group from Shenandoah Conservatory will break out in Christmas caroling all around town throughout the day.

Thousands will be lining Middleburg’s main street to watch a parade lineup that includes high school bands, marching Corgis, high-stepping horses, fire trucks, floats from local schools, churches and businesses, muscle and vintage cars, motorcycles, some Washington Redskin alums, with Santa Claus at the very end.

Herbert loves talking about one of the most anticipated days on the Middleburg calendar, an event that has received national media coverage and gets rave reviews rain, snow or shine. It’s his tenth year as the parade’s “Organizer,” a totally volunteer job.

He has help from a half-dozen other dedicated local volunteers—Cindy Pearson, Kevin Daly, JoAnne Hazard, Kevin Hazard, Punkin Lee and Dee Dee Hubbard. Christmas in Middleburg is a non-profit operation, and Herbert has started an endowment fund with a goal of raising $400,000, with the interest used to pay for some part-time help.

Herbert also offered a major shout-out to Middleburg Chief of Police A.J. Panebianco and his staff, as well as law enforcement from other nearby areas to help with parking, security and crowd control. Two years ago, with perfect weather, a record 24,000 people came to town.

“The most beautiful part of it is that this is a true representation of the character and complexion of Middleburg,” said Herbert, who owns a commercial real estate firm. “When people drive through, they know Middleburg as a chic, horse country destination. But they haven’t scratched the surface. They don’t see the shop owners, the people who live here, who work on the farms.

“When they come to the parade, everyone in this town opens their arms and their hearts to them. They create an experience for them, and those same people will come back here time and again. They get to see what Middleburg is truly all about.”