Perhaps, “Doc” Kirby said it best.

“We’re not going to let a little rain and yuck keep us from our hometown fun.”

Kirby said the City of Troy’s annual Christmas Parade has never been a fair weather event.

“I can remember one year when there was a torrential downpour,” he said. “My suit and shoes were ruined and the parade was a little shorter, but we had a parade. And, if you live in Troy long enough, the parade will be like a lot of other things. It will become an institution. The Christmas Parade is an institution for me.”

Those who lined the Troy downtown square Monday night for the 2010 edition of the Troy Christmas Parade shared Kirby’s sentiments.

Lt. Orlanda Hardy of the Troy Police Department said the Christmas Parade is a tradition for him, but more of a working tradition.

He has been directing parade traffic for 16 years and said it’s one of the best parts of his job because he has a front row seat for the parade.

“I enjoy all of the festivities of the parade,” he said. “People have a good time and it’s a way to get Christmas off to a good start. All of the entries are good but my favorite is the City of Troy float. Maybe that’s because I work for the city.”

Hardy said the parade attracted a good crowd even though the weather was rainy and windy.

Lynn Bundy, laughingly, said the rain would have kept her home except that her daughter, Morgan, was in the parade as Little Miss Brundidge.

“No, really,” she said. “We’ve been coming to the parade since Morgan was a baby. She’s 7 and Wes enjoys it, too.”

Ila Massey was seeing the Troy parade for the first time with her teenage grandsons.

“I moved here from Florida and I thought the parade would be a lot of fun and I wanted my grandsons to enjoy it with me.”

It was a parade for all ages and 7-year-old Nicolas Recalde liked all the floats, but he was waiting anxiously for Santa Claus to arrive so he could tell him what he wanted for Christmas – a Hot Wheels Crisscross Crash.

“It’s where cars crash into each other,” Nicolas said with a smile. “I think I’ll get it because I’ve been good.”

Just how good, on a scale from one to 10? “A 10.”

Bobbie Hill found a place out of the wind from which to watch the parade.

“I’ve been to every one of the parades,” she said. “I wasn’t going to miss this one because of a little rain. The parade always puts me in the spirit of Christmas but first I have to be thankful. After Thanksgiving is when I start thinking about Christmas and the parade is something that I always enjoy doing and especially with my grandchildren. I’ve got four grandchildren with me tonight.”

Faith Karwacki and James Griffith were watching the Christmas Parade from a different perspective.

Last year, they were marching with the Troy University Sound of the South. This year they were watching from the sidelines.

“We wanted to see what the parade was like as spectators rather then participants and it’s really a lot of fun. We’re having a good time,” Griffith said.

For Amos Wilcoxon Sr. the parade was bittersweet. He had two of his children with him to carry on the tradition of parade watching and that gave him a happy feeling.

“But, my son, Amos Wilcoxon Jr. is in the Army and he is serving in Iraq,” Wilcoxon said. “So, it’s sad that he’s not here but we’re here because it’s a tradition with us. The parade’s a good thing because it means different things to different people and we all have a good time.”