We've run this photo before but thought it would be a good time to republish shince this will be part of the Kannapolis History Associates progam at 7 p.m. Monday, March 4, at Social Room of A.L Brown High School.
The first Christmas parade in Kannapolis was held in 1938. The people enjoyed it and, in 1939, an estimated 35,000 people came to watch the parade. Shortly thereafter, Carl Patterson, of Patterson’s Superette, began entering his possum float. Originally, the possums rode on a horse drawn wagon.
This was a favorite entry in the parade for decades. After the parade, the possums were released.
According to Carl in a Daily Independent Magazine article, dated Dec. 10, 1961, page 35, they caught the same stump-tailed possum for five years, only to be released at the end of the parade, to be caught again the following year. Carl’s favorite possum hunting dog was Spot. He hunted with Spot for 15 years and had him on the possum float in the parade for 12 of those years. The picture was taken in the 1950s.
