Eight-year-old Tice Sanders had never seen snow before Saturday night. And he didn’t seem bothered at all that the &#8220flakes” he fought desperately to catch from the sky were, in fact, artificial.

&#8220I got one!” he squealed in excitement to his parents, Todd and Nanci Sanders.

Tice was among about 50 children chasing the snowflakes blown from a machine atop Robert Ware’s building at 1412 Washington St., just after Santa rolled through on his float to end the third annual Vicksburg Downtown Christmas Parade of Lights.

Ware, 34, a Mobile, Ala., native, is turning the building formerly known as Karl’s Haberdashers Inc., into the Ware House, a nine-unit residential complex and eatery.

His reason for incorporating snow machines was simply to add a little excitement for kids and adults alike, he said.

And it did the trick. While kids ran and chased snowflakes, parents brought out cameras to capture the rare moment.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace, who was one of several elected officials in the parade, estimated the crowd at &#8220several thousand.” It was &#8220shoulder-to-shoulder and in many areas as thick as eight or nine people deep,” he said.

Kassy McMillan and her daughter, Bailey Mellina, 5, were in from Georgia for an early Christmas visit with friends.

&#8220This is great, we’re just trying to stay warm,” she said. Temperatures were recorded in the mid-40s throughout the hour and a half the 65 lighted floats and marching groups took to pass the eight blocks from Belmont to Jackson street.

Along the route, Dan and Pam Wilson stood shivering waiting to cheer on their daughter, Afton, who was marching with Warren Central High School’s Big Blue Band colorguard.

&#8220I’m not worried about her,” Pam Wilson said. &#8220They get warmed up with their routines, and they have longjohns on.”

As the parade rolled down Washington Street, the crowd seemed to warm up, dancing along with Christmas music blaring from various floats.

&#8220The crowd was great,” said Erin Hern, assistant director of the Main Street Program, which organized the parade. &#8220The floats were better this year. The competition was stiff, and the judges had a hard time choosing winners.”

The theme for this year’s parade was &#8220One Enchanted Evening,” and in the end, Redwood Elementary’s Cinderella-themed float took Best in Show. Best Business Float went to Danny Hearn Trucking; Best Non-Profit Float went to South Park Elementary; and Most Original Float went to Beechwood Elementary for Grogan’s Chocolate Factory.