Christmas semi truck parade brings holiday cheer to tiny Oregon town

A Christmas semi truck parade lit up the night in Myrtle Creek, Oregon over the weekend. 

The annual D.R. Johnson Memorial Timber Trucker’s Light Parade happened on December 9th at 5:30 p.m. as part of the town’s holiday festivities. 

More than 50 trucks decorated with Christmas lights drove through town as the city lit its Christmas tree during the festivities, which the town calls Old Towne Christmas. Hot cocoa, coffee, cider, chili and cookies were handed out to passersby as the trucks made their way from the D.R. Johnson Lumber Company yard in Riddle, through downtown Riddle, and along Pruner Road, before making its way along Old Pacific Highway 99 into downtown Myrtle Creek before finishing on Division Street. 

The drivers honked their horns and even deployed sirens as citizens watched the parade drive by. 

“It’s the first time since we’ve moved to Myrtle Creek that the weather has been good enough to watch,” Dannie Kitchel, who watched the parade with her grandson, said to The News-Review.

“I’m a parade girl,” she continued. “I love parades no matter where they are.”

“Everybody looks forward to this, all year long. It is a big deal,” said resident Christy Hale, who sat around a small campfire as the parade drove by. She says that, despite the hype, the turnout was low compared to what she has seen in the past. 

“I’m pretty shocked. There are not very many people out here. Usually this street is just lined with people, so this is the first year it’s been pretty sparse like this.”

Favorites included a truck hosting a nativity scene, and an ambulance decorated with inflatable deer and the Grinch. 

Check out some photos of the festivities, below.