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Under heavy rain, the City of Selma held its annual Christmas parade on Saturday morning.

As raindrops fell from the sky, Parade Grand Marshall Valerie Reese Harris opened the parade, followed by Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. and his wife, Cynthia Perkins, the Selma City Council, the Dallas County Commission, Dallas County Circuit Clerk Lynnethia Bennett.

“The rain was nature’s way of adding a little sparkle to the Christmas parade and did Selma Shine,” City of Selma said in a statement.

Selma City Council President Billy Young said he enjoyed the parade, which jumpstarted the city’s annual Christmas celebration.

“The Christmas parade was so much fun,” Young said. “The rain did not stop the Christmas joy. It was a wonderful time in the city.”

The parade had a solid mix of businesses, elementary schools high schools, churches and Greek organizations participate in the parade.

Three local high school bands participated: Selma High, Southside High and Dallas County High School.

School of Discovery Genesis Center, Martin Middle School, Brantley Elementary, Tipton-Durant Middle School, Payne Elementary, RB Hudson Middle School led the schools participating in the parade.

Selma Fire Department, Potter Station Volunteer Fire Department and Marion Junction VFD led the firefighters.

Southside Youth Football team and cheerleaders showecased their trophies.

The Wallace Community College-Selma volleyball team took a photo with Santa Claus in the rain.

The local chapters of Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta led the Greek organizations participating in the parade.