Zippo Manufacturing Co. lit up Main Street Friday night with a lengthy procession in their Light the Night parade and fireworks spectacular, part of the company's 75th Anniversary Celebration.

Young and old, and even dogs, lined Main Street for the parade, and some people got a better view by sitting on the roof of some of the downtown businesses. Large lighter replicas with flames were set up outside of the Abasso at the Downbeat.

Spectators were asked to hold up Zippo lighters and glow sticks during the parade, and young and old were wearing and holding flashing glow sticks. As the parade got darker, more glow sticks became visible.

The crowd was generally impressed by the parade.

"It was great," Mike Reid of Bradford said. "There were people from all over, as far away as DuBois. The fire departments came from all over. Everyone chipped in. This is the first (parade) I've been to at night; it's a really good thing. I have some (relatives) that work for Zippo. My sister-in-law has worked there for something like 40 years. Zippo does a lot for the community."

Rachael Kresge opened the parade, singing "The Star-Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful" and a traditional Zippo song called "Z-I-P-P-O."

A Bradford City Police vehicle with sirens and lights kicked off the procession, followed by the Zippo Car, driven by George Duke escorting his mother Sara Dorn, who is the daughter of Zippo founder George G. Blaisdell. Blaisdell's Cadillac followed with Greg Booth, president and chief executive officer of Zippo, and his wife.

The Kids and Cancer Benefit Run Bike was towed in the parade and was decorated with a painting of Blaisdell.

Some participants in the parade held Zippo lighters in the air, and many of the floats lit up the street with glow sticks, Christmas lights, neon lights and open flames as well as other lights. Many firefighters lit up the night sky with their sirens and lights, including the Bradford City and Bradford Township, Clermont, Rew, Lafayette Township, Limestone (N.Y.), Lewis Run, Eldred Borough, Eldred Township and Derrick City volunteer fire departments.

The McKean County SPCA marched dogs with blinking lights on their collars, and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life float featured luminaries with glow sticks.

McKean County Roadrunners zoomed around the street with yellow, red and green lights under their Zem-Zems. A group of men in Vision Quest danced down the street with a song, and the High Rollers Drill Team roller bladed down Main Street. The Kenetics Baton Twirlers twirled glowing batons.

"The nighttime parade was fantastic and wonderful and well worth sitting for two hours in the downtown for," said Don Burlingame of Bradford.

Light was not the only element to the night parade; many bands also added an element of sound.

The bands included the Erepa Grotto Pipe and Drum of Erie, Zem Zem Pipe and Drum of Erie, the 96th Highlanders Pipe and Drum of the Jamestown (N.Y.) Police Department, the Bradford High School Marching Owls, the Otto-Eldred High School Band, the Falconer (N.Y.) band and the Rushford Community Band, playing on the buggy of a horse and buggy.

Zippo employees also contributed to the parade.

The Zippo/Case Fishing Team boat floated down the street, and a Zippo lighter float lit up with a blue flame high in the air. The Zippo shipping department float had actual flames coming out of their large replica lighters. The Zippo inside assembly department float had a lighter on the front of it with Blaisdell's photo on it and went with an American theme with red, white and blue balloons, an eagle mascot and a man dressed up as a cowboy.

The Bradford Midget Cheerleaders were cheering, "Let's Go Zippo, Let's Go!" as they came down the street on their float.

John Carney came all the way from Mount Jewett to watch his girls in the Mount Jewettetts Pom Pom group.

"I love it," Carney said of the parade. "The kids are enjoying it ... and they're doing great."

"I think it's nice," Gail Wichensky of Bradford said of the parade.

"So far it's good," Dana Wells of Bradford added.

Cars and a float for the Street Dreams Car Club finished the parade, and then the crowd filled the middle of Main Street all the way from Davis to Mechanic streets, sitting and standing to watch the fireworks spectacular, which began at the end of the parade.

The fireworks lit up the sky over Mount Raub, beating out the sprinkles threatening rain as nature began to light up the night sky itself with some lightning in the distance.

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