On December 16, 2022, 5:30pm (date changed) the 5th Civil Engineer Squadron Electrical Shop will once again bring the holiday spirit to the community of Minot Air Force Base with a festive holiday parade.

Tech. Sgt. William Hudnall, now retired, originally brought the idea of a parade to the 5th CES Electricians who worked together to plan an unforgettable display of holiday cheer for the children of Minot AFB.
“We had a vision and went with it. We made this event a dual-wing event to show the support of everyone on the base,” said Hudnall.

Due to COVID-19 in previous years, many children had to miss out on the typical holiday experience and at its beginning in 2020, the parade allowed the children of Minot AFB to have a unique and safe holiday celebration. For the third year in a row, it has quickly become a new Minot AFB tradition for the community to look forward to.

The parade, inspired by a similar concept at Eielson AFB, will include members from the 5th CES, as well as the 91st and 791st Missile Maintenance Squadrons.

Airmen from all over Minot will collaborate to create the magical event. Santa’s sleigh was originally created and designed by Paul Buettner and usually features spots for Santa and Mrs. Claus, reindeer, and the Grinch. In an impressive display of diligence, the electrical shop hand strings over 200 lights on each reindeer in the parade.

Due to mission requirements, the dedicated members of the Electrical Shop are putting in extra work to ensure the base community has a holiday celebration with the Christmas Tree Lighting and the holiday parade.

Staff Sgt. Tristan Frank of the Electrical Shop said, “Not everyone is going to be with their families this time of year. There are those who are deployed and people who are living here for the first time away from their families, and this parade is our effort to help comfort them.”

Thanks to the volunteers’ hard work and their spirit during the season of giving, Minot AFB will be able to enjoy another magical parade.
The third annual Holiday Parade will start at 5:30 p.m. and last until 7:30 on December 2.