It just doesn’t feel like the holidays until you see Santa riding on a fire truck.

The season officially arrived in Corvallis on Friday night as the city’s annual Christmas parade rolled through downtown. The rain held off, the temperature was crisp but not cold, and hundreds of people lined both sides of Fourth Street to take in the spectacle.

Accompanied by three generations of her family, Diana Thoma of Corvallis was at her usual spot near the starting line at Southwest Fourth and Washington Avenue. She can’t remember how many years she’s been coming to see the parade.

“How many years they been having it? Chris is going to be 30,” she said, nodding at her son, “and he’s been coming every year.”

Chris Thoma lives in Eugene now, but he was there again this year, along with wife Melissa Thoma and their kids, 9-year-old Austin Thoma, 8-year-old Brayton Haaby and 16-month-old Aiden Haaby.

Chris tried to remember how old he was the first year he saw the parade.

“Santa Claus on the fire truck — I can’t remember not seeing it,” he said.

The procession lurched to life as two motorcycle officers with the Corvallis Police Department, sirens whooping, gave the signal to begin. A military color guard led the way up Fourth Street followed by this year’s grand marshal, Miss Oregon USA Mary Lee Horch. Decked out in sequins and a tiara, she rode in state in the back of an orange pickup truck and jiggled an orange and black pompon, surrounded by attendants garbed in Oregon State University Beaver colors.

Downtown Gingerbear was there, along with Christmas elves handing out candy and a marching band playing “Gimme Some Lovin’.”

Standing on the sidewalk, Deanna Kingston scanned the order of march looking for a familiar face — her son, Eddie.

“He’s on the trolley,” she said. “His dad’s the transit coordinator for the city of Corvallis, so he gets to go on the bus.”

Watching with her was 16-year-old Ashlee Harms, who was seeing the parade for the first time.

“I thought it would be a big huge parade, but actually it’s pretty quaint,” she said. “It’s nice.”

Tamara Allen of Corvallis arrived early to stake out some prime real estate on the parade route with her daughters Soraya, 7, and Macy, 5, and their cousins, 8-year-old Jadon Harris, 4-year-old Rhiannon Swensen-Mann and the baby of the family, Kaydence Pool.

“We got here at 5 so in case it got too cold we could sit in the car,” she said. “They’re having a good time.”

Soraya cleaned up in the candy department, the younger girls rushed out to pet a pair of dogs with reindeer antlers on their heads, and Jadon threw a perfect spiral to a member of the Corvallis Pride women’s football team.

Kaydence took it all in with wide, unblinking eyes.

And there was so much to see: dogs, horses, llamas, kinetic sculptures, a caravan of Pepsi delivery trucks — there was even a costumed superhero riding on top of a carpet-cleaning van while a trailer-mounted bubble machine trundled along behind.

Mayor Charlie Tomlinson made an appearance, cruising up the road in his electric car. He drew cheers from the spectators, but there was no way to tell whether they were applauding his political policies or the slogan on the front of the Mayor Mobile. In honor of the Beavers’ stellar season, it read “Rose Bowl or bust.”

Brian Steele, 7, came downtown with parents Tom and Kelli for the family’s first-ever Corvallis Christmas parade.

Brian got his wish when the local model train club float rolled by. He clutched a flier good for free admission to the club’s annual open house next weekend.

“I am excited to go there,” he declared. “I will go there on December 7th.”

But still, there was no sign of Santa Claus.

Whitney Abigail Gammon, age 4, couldn’t understand it. Bundled up tight in a pouffy blue coat, she scanned the street for any sign of the jolly old elf.

“I saw him at the mall,” she said.

Her mom, Windy Gammon of Philomath, said Whitney and her little sister Hayley, age 1, were enjoying the parade anyhow. Hayley liked the dogs and horsies while Whitney liked the candy.

“She’s making out like a bandit,” Gammon said.

The tail end of the parade was held up for several minutes when a rider with the Benton County Search & Rescue group fell off her rearing horse. Corvallis Fire Department medics tended to the woman’s injuries, and parade watchers lent her a chair to recover in.

But the show must go on, and after a brief delay the rest of the procession made its way up Fourth Street.

Bringing up the rear was a church float peopled with angelically costumed toddlers, the Philomath High School Drag Racing Team funny car (and funny truck), and the roller-skating Sick Town Derby Dames.

And then, at last, the star of the show made his long-awaited entrance. At the very end of the line came the Corvallis Fire Department’s hook and ladder rig, with Santa and Mrs. Claus riding on top and waving to the crowd.

But, Corvallis being Corvallis, there had to be a skeptic. “I don’t think that’s a real Santa beard,” said a man who scrutinized the parade from the sidewalk in front of Starbucks.

And maybe he was right.

The doubter — a bespectacled elderly gent with a tassled red cap and a flowing white beard — looked like he might know a thing or two about the subject. When pressed, he gave his name only as Santa.

Bennett Hall can be reached at 758-9529 or bennett.hall@lee.net.