The Sunnyside Lighted Farm Implement Parade, which is one of the oldest farm implement parades in the nation, features dozens of tractors, combines and antique farm equipment – each uniquely decorated with thousands of twinkling Christmas lights. This enchanting festival of lights pays a unique tribute to Sunnyside’s agricultural heritage and was established in 1989.
Of the many parade participants, fourth-generation dairy farmers Jason and Karen Sheehan of J&K Dairy, located in Sunnyside, Washington, enjoy driving their decorated swather in the parade every year.
“The parade has been a long-standing tradition,” Karen says. “I grew up in the Sunnyside area and the local farmers got together, put lights on their implements and they drove downtown Sunnyside. It was a very cool thing to have happen because there was nothing like it around. Since then, it has grown and grown into something our community has been known for.”
Ten years ago, after Jason and Karen had been married and established their own family and farm traditions, they decided they wanted to be a part of the 2013 parade. It has since turned into a family affair that their children enjoy very much.
“The first year, we put in our swather and decorated it and had so much fun that we just kept doing it,” Karen says. “This will be our 10th year, and every year we decorate a little more and make it a little fancier.”
For a couple of years, they decorated one of their big John Deere tractors but ultimately preferred having their swather in the parade.
“We love entering the swather because we can do a 360-degree turn, and people love seeing the doughnuts being spun,” Karen says. “It is a lot of fun because people in the crowd will circle their hands in front of us, asking for a spin. That appeals to the people quite a bit because there's no other float in the parade that does that.”
In 2021 the Sheehan's swather was the Ervin Kilian Memorial Award Recipient. Photo courtesy of J&K Dairy.
The parade is featured on the Travel Channel Xtreme Xmas and is voted as one of the top 10 lighted parades in the U.S. by A&E TV.
“It's fun to be a part of it, and every once in a while, we see our swather spinning on television,” Karen says.
For the last handful of years, Karen says she has ridden on the buddy seat with Jason in the swather for the parade.
“Watching the parade is great. It's incredible, and it’s fun to see all of the participation, but it's also awesome to be riding,” Karen says. “I get to see the smiles on everybody's faces and see all of the hand signals for ‘Do a spin,’ or waving, ‘Merry Christmas.’ Also, recognizing people that I know is really fun.”
Jason says it is difficult to see driving in the parade, and he has to be really careful with people all around because sometimes they start to encroach too much.
“There are so many lights on the cab, so it's hard to see. People think that when you're lit up you can actually see, but instead, it makes it worse,” Jason says. “You can't see through the darkness outside the cab, so it's pretty interesting to drive.”
Photo courtesy of J&K Dairy.
In preparation for the parade, Jason says it takes two people and a solid five days to decorate their implement. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer, depending on how cold it is and how many lights won’t work and have to be switched out. The biggest challenge decorating the parade entry is finding the time, says Jason.
“We have to vacate our shop when it is supposed to be used every day to fix stuff on a working dairy,” Jason says. “So, we can’t get the work done that we need to get done when we’re decorating our implement.”
According to the parade rules, all entries must be completely lighted – stringing up a few lights on a tractor or truck will not be accepted – and the entry decoration/lighting must represent an agricultural theme.
The Sheehans decorate their swather with lighted animals (particularly cows), presents and trees.
In 2022 the Sheehans hung a banner on the front of their swather that said "We wish you a very mooey Christmas." Photo courtesy of J&K Dairy.
“There are lights all over the entire machine, including the wheels. Since those parts are rolling, they are battery-powered,” Karen says. “Every year we change it up a little bit and tend to change up the figurines, so the public isn’t seeing the same thing every year. Last year we made a big banner to go on the front of the swather.”
Before the parade starts, all the entries line up on a long road. Karen says she and Jason walk the road to see everyone’s entries parked and lit up before the parade starts. During this time, the entries are also judged for each of the nine parade divisions. The awards are presented immediately prior to the parade so that the winners can be announced as they pass the parade announcers at Centennial Square. In addition to a plaque, a $100 award is given to the first-place winner in each of the nine categories.
“I’m proud to be part of the parade, and there are fewer and fewer agricultural entities that actually farm and actually put their implements in because it just takes so much time,” Jason says. “So, we're glad to keep the tradition going more than anything.”
The Sheehans say they are proud to support their community and represent the dairy industry in the parade.
Photo courtesy of J&K Dairy.
“We feel it's important to give back to the community. In Washington, after apples, dairy is the next biggest agricultural commodity,” Karen says. “So, we feel that it's important to give back to our community and keep the tradition going. When people enjoy it and you can see it in the crowd, it’s a fun feeling.”
“Anytime you can promote agriculture and your community at the same time is exciting for us because there's getting to be fewer and fewer farmers,” Jason says. “So, it's just good to be active in your community and also good to find something that promotes agriculture at the same time.”
