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ITD shines in Christmas parade in Potlatch

An ITD plow traded its flashing yellow lights for twinkling strands and a Bigfoot costume at the Lighted Christmas Parade in Potlatch in December.

Lonnie Crume (pictured right), a transportation technician who lives in nearby Princeton, decorated the truck with help from his crew members Ty Winther and Jacob Demuth. Crume, who has worked for ITD for almost 29 years, said he tries every year to enter the parade, but this was the first time since 2007 that the weather allowed the crew to take time to decorate.

This year, the parade theme was “It’s a sasquatch Christmas in Potlatch.”

“I had Demuth in the passenger seat wearing what was supposed to look like a Bigfoot costume,” Crume said. “With the poor lighting, it was a success.”

Potlatch, a community of 800 people north of Lewiston, hosts a parade every year and treats viewers to complimentary hot drinks and chili at the Scenic 6 RV Park during a display of fireworks.

David Brown said he started this small-town tradition with his wife 22 years ago after attending a similar event in Clarkston.
Now the longtime mayor of Potlatch, Brown organizes the parade and related events every year with assistance from the city and volunteers.

This year, volunteers decorated the RV park with 60,000 lights, which are kept glowing by the city that pays the power bill. Funding from a grant helps the community put on a display of fireworks worth $10,000, Brown said.

Twenty-vendors participated in the parade, and judges from the community awarded the festive plow with second place in the commercial category.

Crume said he used the cash prize to buy pizza for his helpers.

“I think it is good for ITD to participate in local activities in our communities,” Crume said. “We heard some comments that ours was the best yet.”