The 40th annual Night of Lights Parade and celebration is Friday night in Columbia Falls. Sponsored by the Lions Club, this year’s theme is “Super Hero Christmas."

The parade starts at 6 p.m. and floats should start lining up at 5 p.m. with judging at 5:30 p.m.

Registration is $15 or a donation to the Columbia Falls Food Bank. Forms are available around town and online on the Columbia Falls Lions Club Facebook page. Email forms to [email protected].

People are asked to not have Santa Claus on their floats. The real Santa is always at the end of the parade.

Dentist Roger Newman recalled in a 2015 interview hearing the news that the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant would shut down around the time that he had signed a loan to open his own dental office in Columbia Falls.

He recalled thinking, “Oh my word. I need to do everything I can to make sure this community stays alive.”

Tick Tock Clock Shop owners Williams and Inga Myers, members of the first “Coming Alive in ‘85” committee, originally had the idea to have an evening Christmas parade.

It happened to be close to Christmas when they were visiting Leavenworth, Washington.

The couple enjoyed cookies served by local businesses and watched the entire Bavarian town lit up in Christmas lights.

They decided to do the same here.

She closed the clock shop for an hour or so on a couple different days to rally community support. She asked all of the businesses to chip in $5 and called the church choirs to sing carols that first night.

The committee almost canceled the first parade on Nov. 26, 1985, because temperatures plummeted well below zero, but they decided to still have it anyway since they put so much time into planning it. That first parade had about six entries, which went around a three- block route twice. The next year it was much better.

The parade started from the end of Nucleus Avenue and was on a Friday night with higher attendance. It was estimated that 1,000 people came to watch. 

There have been other festivities over the years, but the Night of Lights parade has always been the first Friday night in December. Today, it has a host of floats and thousands come out to watch.

The event kicks off the holiday season in Columbia Falls.

The Columbia Falls Rotary’s Brunch with Santa is Saturday, Dec. 6.

Timber Creek Village hosts the event with doors opening at 9:30 a.m. to welcome children and families to see Santa and Mrs. Claus and to enjoy a meal. Kids under 12 are free to enter with an adult. Cost for adults is $10 and there is also a silent auction. Santa will be there for pictures with the kids as well.