{"id":30340,"date":"2023-12-02T21:17:12","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T04:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-comes-together-to-celebrate-holiday-amid-grief-for-fallen-officer\/"},"modified":"2023-12-03T04:17:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T04:17:12","slug":"cortez-comes-together-to-celebrate-holiday-amid-grief-for-fallen-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-comes-together-to-celebrate-holiday-amid-grief-for-fallen-officer\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortez comes together to celebrate holiday amid grief for fallen officer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Police
Police vehicles stretched for over five blocks along Main Street, Cortez, in honor of fallen officer Sgt. Michael Moran.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

What started as a modest procession of eight floats 34 years ago has grown nearly eightfold into a proper parade of 65 flamboyant floats, said Gerry Parker, one of Cortez\u2019s Parade of Lights founders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never did imagine it going this big,\u201d said Parker. \u201cBut I did know it progressed every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A dancer followed the Montezuma County Search & Rescue vehicle during the Cortez Parade of Lights.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Spectators
Spectators watch the Cortez Parade of Lights at the corner of Market and Main.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Santa
Santa waves to the crowd as he gets ready to kick off the Parade of Lights.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Santa
Santa steps off his helicopter shortly after landing.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cortez
Cortez Parade of Lights 2023.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Lewis-Arriola PTO float appears before the judges\u2019 stand during the Cortez Parade of Lights. The float went on to win in its respective category.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Lewis-Arriola PTO float during the Cortez Parade of Lights. The float went on to win in it's respective category.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The judges watching the parade intently. Parade of Lights, 2023.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Police
Police vehicles spanned for over five blocks along Main Street, Cortez, in honor of fallen officer Sgt. Michael Moran. A patrol vehicle carries a U.S. Marine Corps flag.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cortez
Cortez Parade of Lights 2023.<\/span>Matthew Tangeman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Four Corners Board of Realtors initially put it on to give back to the community, and it remains a time to come together, Parker said.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, it brought a community together following the tragic death of Cortez Police Sgt. Michael Moran, who died Wednesday after being shot during a traffic stop.<\/p>\n

In his honor, at the end of the parade, the last car out of the procession was Moran\u2019s car, decorated with a black shroud. The police department then fell into line, followed by a Fallen Heroes trailer, said Terry McCabe, who\u2019s retiring after 19 years of overseeing the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s really a big deal for us, it\u2019s important, and I\u2019m happy we did it,\u201d said McCabe.<\/p>\n

Police and regular cars alike were painted with Sgt. Moran\u2019s name and messages to \u201cRest in Peace.\u201d The procession spanned nearly six blocks.<\/p>\n

Blue Lives Matter flags decorated more floats than usual, showing support and solidarity for Moran and the Cortez Police Department.<\/p>\n

Like every year, there was a great sense of community at the parade, said Kayla Lindhorst, who\u2019s lived in Cortez and been attending it for the past 12 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this year had a different feeling toward the end,\u201d Lindhorst said.<\/p>\n

Though the parade ended on a solemn note of remembrance, the rest of it stayed true to its previous traditions, starting with Santa flying in via helicopter.<\/p>\n

Eager attendants strained to catch a glimpse of him as he disembarked on Main Street, and afterward, the parade began.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a new tradition and will happen each year, so long as weather permits, said Michelle Morris, a volunteer at the event for over a decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone that wants to come to town, this is the weekend to do it,\u201d said Morris. \u201cCause it\u2019s so fun!\u201d<\/p>\n

The parade is always on the first Saturday of December to kick-start the holiday season, she said.<\/p>\n

The viewers agreed it does just that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our first thing to start the holidays. It feels like Christmas is coming,\u201d said Crystal Proffitt, a resident of Dove Creek who\u2019s come to the parade the past three years.<\/p>\n

Beyond fostering Christmas spirit, the parade has a Grand Marshal and a theme to reflect that person and a greater lesson.<\/p>\n

This year, the Grand Marshal was Mitchell Toms, a Cortez community member who\u2019s actively involved in helping the town function \u2013 behind the scenes. And so this year\u2019s theme of \u201cthe hidden spirit of Christmas\u201d speaks to the way Toms participates in the town: quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really my privilege just to be here in this community. When I moved here, I didn\u2019t know one person,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Toms supports and organizes several charities in Montezuma County. He\u2019s found space for emergency shelters and helped establish a Habitat for Humanity. He was also named a Community Champion by El Pomar Foundation and the Denver Broncos, among other things.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just being a part of it,\u201d Toms said. \u201c(Everyone) making me feel like I\u2019ve been part of this community all my life is a great privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morris said that even the judges \u2013 six elementary-age kids from Cortez and the surrounding areas \u2013 were selected tactically, to align with this year\u2019s theme.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked the schools to help choose a student that does good, that does their schoolwork and everything, but might not be on the front lines of everything and flies under the radar,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

After the parade, they expressed shared, mixed feeling of nervousness and happiness at being selected to judge. But they all agreed they loved to see the creativity and beautiful lights. They also felt proud to be part of the community, especially at the end during the memorial.<\/p>\n

Although each year is different, whether it be weather-wise or float-wise, there\u2019s a lot of repeat participants that build the floats and come to the parade. And everyone\u2019s always there for the same reason: to enjoy, said Morris.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou meet someone on the street corner that don\u2019t even know, and you end up chatting all evening with them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Parker said that picking a favorite float is hard, since all the participants put a lot of imagination and effort into it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really is a beautiful thing,\u201d said Parker. \u201cThat\u2019s probably why you can\u2019t buy any lights at Walmart, cause they\u2019re all going out to the parade.\u201d<\/p>\n

The parade isn\u2019t a moneymaker or anything like that; it\u2019s strictly for the community\u2019s enjoyment, and Parker said the best part is seeing how much the community truly enjoys it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey park their cars early and get all lined up,\u201d she said. \u201cI think they appreciate it very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morris said that even though it\u2019s officially wintertime in Cortez, the community\u2019s holiday spirit doesn\u2019t falter, despite the cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s like \u2018oh it\u2019s cold\u2019 or \u2018oh it\u2019s this\u2019 but when you\u2019re out there and enjoying it, most people don\u2019t realize the cold. It\u2019s just an enjoyable time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see people from all over and come in and be intrigued by the parade and enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parade of Lights results<\/div>\n
Commercial Category<\/div>\n
First: Ute Mountain Casino and Hotel Second: Sunshine Rides Southwest Third: Body by Design <\/div>\n
Nonprofit category<\/div>\n
First: Grace Fellowship EFCSecond: Battle Rock Charter School Third: Cortez BMX<\/div>\n
Other category<\/div>\n
First: Lewis Arriola Elementary PTOSecond: Montezuma-Cortez Middle School BandThird: Montezuma-Cortez High School Band <\/div>\n
The Four Corners Board of Realtors gives out small cash prizes to each of the winners.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Memorial march for police Sgt. Michael Moran\u2019s wraps up Cortez\u2019s annual Parade of Lights<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[755,28,445,598],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-30340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-christmas","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter-lead","tag-public-holiday"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30340"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=30340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}