Candy fell from the skies instead of snow, Christmas music rang out and Santa Claus took a boat ride on the Wareham River while hundreds gathered along Main Street to celebrate the annual Christmas Parade.

The parade, put on by the Wareham Village Association, took place Saturday, Dec. 7 and started at the high school before travelling down Main Street and ending at Besse Park.

The event featured appearances from classic Christmas characters like Rudolph, the Grinch and Frosty the Snowman as well as many local organizations who decorated their vehicles to celebrate the holidays.

Tracy McGraw, president of the Wareham Village Association said this was her eleventh year putting on the event and this was the biggest crowd she had ever seen.

No Christmas celebration would be complete without Santa Claus and while it has become tradition for Santa to ride in the parade on a fire truck, this year saw a maritime with twist and Santa taking a boat ride on the Wareham River before pulling up to the dock near Besse Park and greeting kids and families for pictures at the end of the parade.

McGraw added one of her favorite parts of the parade is to see the community come together, whether it be people watching on the street or people getting involved.

Wareham resident Steeve Roux rode in the parade with his wife Teresa and his two daughters in their 1968 Volkswagen Beetle. He added they usually just watch the parade but they decided to participate as a tribute to his  late brother.

"My kids seen so many kids from school and they were all waving and it was really cool," said Steeve Roux. "Everyone seemed really excited this year and it was a lot of good energy downtown."

Ron Oliveira, owner of Re/Max Real Estate on Main Street was handing out candy and apple cider from his store front during the parade.

"Our office is centralized on Main Street and we like to give back to the community," said Oliveira.

James Cotton of Shirley was at the parade with his wife and two kids to watch his dad ride atop a fire truck wearing a red and white outfit and take a boat ride along the Wareham River before docking at Besse Park.

"I think it's important to build community because you can learn who your neighbors and and you can learn about different walks of life and I think it's important to be involved," said Cotton.