LEWISBURG, WV (WOAY)- The city of Lewisburg holds the Shanghai Parade in downtown every January 1st. This is a tradition that goes back 150 years for Lewisburg.
And with that history, many may wonder how it started.
“You know, nobody really knows exactly why or when it started. It may have some roots in China,” explained Susan Sharp Cambell, the starter at the top of the hill for the parade. “The history is not totally clear, but it’s a great parade because you can get up on New Year’s morning and think, oh, let’s go be in the Shanghai parade. There’s no need to pre-register..”
Everyone who wanted to participate in the Shanghai Parade started here on Lee Street, and they turned the corner onto Washington Street, where they marched the parade on New Year’s Day.
As they turned the corner, there was a wide variety of people you could see in the parade.
Local queens, politicians, and the New Year’s Baby himself were there. Many people rode in style with cars, trucks, floats, horses, tractors, and even bikes. Even our furry friends, and not so furry too, got to join in the fun. Sharp Campbell explains what her favorite tradition in the Shanghai Parade is.
“I like seeing the different floats that people have put together. And I think what I really like is there are some families that have been doing this year after year after year. Some of the folks have passed away, but now they’ve got grandchildren, great-grandchildren on the floats as well,” said Sharp Campbell.
Many people came out for this yearly tradition to celebrate the new year.
