Ferriday — Dressed like a troop of Mrs. Clauses, the Miss-Lou Prancing Misses kicked off a round of holiday parade gigs at the Ferriday Christmas Parade Saturday.

Families lined the streets downtown to enjoy the girls’ moves, hear marching bands, catch candy and wave to Santa.

Derrycka Hall, a student at Ferriday Upper and a proud member of the Prancing Misses, said after the parade her favorite part was “breaking down” to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Jalah Abron, also a Ferriday Upper student and dance team member, said the group has practiced the Christmas number for almost two months.

“I got a little tired, but not much,” Prancing Misses Tah’niya Green said after the parade of marching and dancing.

It is a good thing she did not get too worn out, Green said, because the Prancing Misses also performed later Saturday night at the Natchez Christmas Parade and will dance in the Vidalia Christmas parade at 3 p.m. today.

The Prancing Misses were formed after the disbandment of the Vidalia High School majorettes, and contains some of those former members.

The team will also be performing in Sicily Island next Saturday.

This year’s parade honored past presidents of the Ferriday Chamber of Commerce.

The past presidents rode near the beginning of the parade on the Vidalia Trolley.

Parade organizer Rena Pitts said this year’s parade was a good time to honor past chamber presidents because the Ferriday chamber will be disbanding at the end of the year in order to create the Concordia Parish chamber with Vidalia.

Easter Cain said she has attended the parade since her first grandchild was born.

“Since they were babies, I’ve been bringing them,” Cain said.

Now that Cain’s first grandchild is 13 years old, he has advanced from spectator to participant as a trombone player in the Ferriday High School Band.

Cain brought three of her younger grandchildren to the parade to support her first grandson and enjoy the holiday fun.

Cain said she noticed her grandchildren getting excited for the parade early Saturday morning before it started.

“I see them grabbing their bags to catch candy — that’s their favorite part.”

“I enjoy it too, and I know they have fun.”