32nd annual Timber Truckers Light Parade brightens John Day streets

All of the vehicles were covered in festive holiday lights and many bore fanciful decorations as they competed for prizes in four categories: timber, commercial, farm and ranch, and community. The first prize in each category was $200 (plus 100 gallons of diesel fuel for the timber winner), with $100 going to the second-place winner and $50 for third place.

The timber industry was still going strong when the first parade was held back in 1991 with financial support from the D.R. Johnson Lumber Co.

While it is much diminished today, the industry still accounts for one out of every five jobs in Grant County, according to the Oregon Employment Department, and the Timber Truckers Light Parade remains a cherished local tradition. The parade still gets a check from D.R. Johnson (as does a similar event in Riddle), as well as support from numerous local businesses.

Those contributions cover the cash prizes as well as the cost of a chili feed for the participants and their families at the John Day Elks Lodge after the parade, where the winners are announced and additional prizes are handed out.

A committee of six volunteers starts working in October to organize the annual event, and the Elks Club provides another five volunteers to help with the chili feed.

“The timber industry supported this community for decades,” said Leslie Traylor, who heads up the organizing committee and has been involved in putting on the parade for more than two decades.

“Even though the timber industry is not what it once was, the parade is still going and the community still supports it.”

In addition to honoring Grant County’s connection to the timber industry, Traylor said, the Timber Truckers Light Parade is just a fun event that has become an integral part of the holidays for many local residents.

“It’s just a great way to welcome in the season,” she said. “I always feel like the Christmas season has started once the parade is over.”