The history of the Gator Parade

In 2004, firefighter Gaeton “Gator” Gangi and Fire Chief Joe Beadle of Winsted’s Engine Four came up with an unusual way for the city to celebrate the Christmas season by having a parade in December. 

They decided to deck fire trucks and other municipal vehicles with flashing lights and ornaments and drive through town blowing horns and blaring sirens. The event would be called “The Winchester Holiday Parade.”

Gaeton Edward Gangi had served 30 years with the Winsted Fire Department. He was a native of Torrington and a long-time resident of Winsted.  “Gator” as he was nicknamed, graduated from The Gilbert School and was a decorated Vietnam War veteran.  He had served in the U.S. Army and received the Purple Heart and three other service medals. According to his family and friends, Gangi enjoyed a joke, spoke his mind, and enjoyed having fun.  

The Holiday Parade was scheduled to debut on Christmas Eve of 2004. Tragically, just two days before the event, on Dec. 22, “Gator” Gangi suffered a heart attack and died at Hartford Hospital. He was 60 years-old. Parade organizers and Gangi’s co-workers were shocked by his death, but decided that he would have wanted the parade to go on. The parade was held, as planned, on Christmas Eve of 2004, but was renamed the Gator Parade in Gangi’s honor.  It has since become an annual Winsted tradition. According to one fellow-fireman, “Gaeton would have enjoyed the parade; it was the type of event that summed up his outlook on life.”

The original route of the Gator Parade wound through many streets in town and generally lasted two to three hours.  With the ever-increasing popularity of the parade and the growing number of vehicles participating each year, the route, by necessity, has been scaled down. The parade is still held within the city limits, but it now only lasts about ninety-minutes. 

The noise and fun that the Gator Parade generates has remained unchanged over the years. The only rule is that vehicles must be decorated and approved by the Fire Chief, in order to participate. The festive procession typically includes local fire engines and police cars, as well as the Winsted Elks Antlers, the Winsted Public Works Department, the Winsted Area Ambulance Association, and vehicles from other towns. Decorations are purchased by the members of each company or town employees at their own expense, and, on average, 20 to 30 vehicles and nearly 150 individuals participate.  

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Scores of onlookers line up along the parade route to cheer or watch and wave from their lawns or the warmth of their homes.  Candy is passed out to children along the way, and Santa almost always makes an appearance at the parade. The convoy rolls along slowly, so spectators can get a good view, and after the parade is over participants gather at the Elm Street Fire Station to celebrate. 

The Gator Parade is one of many annual events held in Winsted that appeals to all ages.  It is intended to brighten spirits during the long winter season and is in memory of an individual who was greatly respected by the community. Further information regarding The Gator Parade, including the parade route, is available on the Winsted Fire Department’s website and Facebook page or in the newspaper. To learn about past parades, please visit the Genealogy and Local History Room at Beardsley and Memorial Library.

Verna Gilson is the genealogy and local history research assistant at the Beardsley and Memorial Library’s Genealogy & Local History Room.