by Noella Noelophile®
(Photo courtesy of Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade, and used with permission.)
Christmas in the Victorian village of Ferndale has been described in one word: “Magic”.
And one of the most magical aspects of their Christmas celebration is coming up.
On Sunday evening, December 21st, the 33rd Annual Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade is happening on Main Street!
Fancifully decorated tractors, tractor-drawn wagons and horse-drawn floats will showcase both the creativity of Ferndale’s local farmers and ranchers, and their pride in their heritage.
(Photo courtesy of Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade, and used with permission.)
Visitors are encouraged to arrive early. Tractors will line up for judging at 4:30 pm, with judging starting at 5:00 pm.
Among the categories for which these entries are being considered: “Best Animation”; “Best Animal Entry”; “Oldest Tractor”; “Best Lights”, and “Most Christmas Spirit”.
(I admit, looking at last year’s pictures on Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade’s Facebook page, I laughed out loud at the “Judges’ Choice”: a family decked out as cows, pigs and one very stern-looking rooster!)
Reflecting a legacy
(Photo courtesy of Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade, and used with permission.)
Then, the parade starts at 6:00 pm from the top of Main Street–which, incidentally, is the location of the nation’s tallest living Christmas tree.
As the parade celebrates the imagination and humor of the participants, it also honors the tradition of this close-knit community. Every year, the Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade features a local family as parade Grand Marshals.
The 2025 Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade Marshals are fifth- and sixth-generation Ferndale residents!
“This year, we are honored to celebrate a family whose roots run as deep as the redwoods and whose legacy has helped shape the Eel River Valley for more than a century,” emails Jeannie, from the parade committee.
“…we proudly honor the Scilacci Family as our Grand Marshals—representing more than 130 years of grit, stewardship, and commitment to the land we call home.”
A proud tradition
(Photo courtesy of Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade, and used with permission.)
Jeannie shares that this legacy began with Pietro and Virginia Scilacci, who immigrated from Corippo, Switzerland to Ferndale in 1893. Just two years later, the couple would open their dairy on Waddington Road, laying the foundation for a family legacy that spans nearly every aspect of rural life in the Eel River Valley.
Dairy farming, goat milk soap making and sawmill operations are just three of those areas in which the Scilacci family have been involved, throughout the decades.
And now, Jeannie adds, the sixth generation of Scilaccis are beginning to work alongside family members as they carry this tradition forward.
“When we get done milkin’!”
(Photo courtesy of Ferndale Lighted Tractor Parade, and used with permission.)
And if you’d like to see this unique community celebration (their webpage lists the start time as, “6:00 pm, or when we get done milkin!”), there are two ways you can:
- Onsite, and plan on visiting the Victorian village of Ferndale. That would absolutely be my preference if we could go this year–and you get to watch from your vehicle, if you’d like! The parade has been extended, to allow visitors to do exactly that. (Again, show up early, and plan on being patient; there will be considerable traffic coming and going, for this very popular tradition.)
- Or, virtually! A live stream will be available on Facebook.