LARGO — Against a backdrop of downtown transformation, the city’s Old Fashioned Christmas Parade served as a festive throwback Dec. 20, as crowds lined the blocks-long loop off of West Bay Drive on an idyllic Saturday afternoon.
While the district between Clearwater-Largo Road and Missouri Avenue experiences immense growth, anchored by the Horizon West Bay project featuring the new Largo City Hall opening this spring, the more than 20-year-old parade continues attracting people of all ages.
Before leading a procession featuring a record number of entrants, including a handful of Grinches, several dogs and a gaggle of Jeeps, Mayor Woody Brown conducted a pre-parade pep talk that included some solid advice for throwing candy and beads into the crowd…