What started as way to put the historic town of Lisbon (a town tucked in the far corner of Howard County, Maryland’s rural west) back on the map is now an annual holiday tradition and one of the most attended small town Christmas parades in the state. It is also when the local equine and agricultural communities gather to take part in one of Maryland’s biggest fundraisers to feed the hungry.

Keeping Community Spirit Alive!

The parade highlights the true meaning of community – the spirit of people from all walks of life who gather to give to those in need. Thousands of people will come together on Dec. 9 to take part in and/or watch the parade along the 1-mile swath the historic national road to enjoy watching beautiful horses and tractors (with lots of horse power) stroll down Frederick Road, Lisbon’s “Main Street.”

Now in its seventh year, the parade has brought in well over $50,000 in donations to the local food banks – Howard County Food Bank and Carroll County Food Sunday – plus Farmers and Hunters Feed the Hungry and the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company (which is conducting a fundraising campaign to build a new facility to be completed in 2019).

Fundraising to Feed the Hungry

More than $13,000 was raised at the 2016 Lisbon Christmas Parade through the generous support of parade participants, and sponsors and spectators! These funds were presented to the beneficiaries at the April 13 Howard County Farm Bureau’s Annual Legislative Dinner. Both food banks received $5,000, while $1,500 was presented to both LVFC and FHFH. In addition, thanks to community support, over 800 pounds of non-perishable food was collected at the 2016 parade and was split between the Howard County Food Bank and Carroll County Food Sunday.

What started five years ago as a lark for a western Howard County turf farmer as a way to put Lisbon back on the map has quickly become a holiday tradition.

It also brings local equine and agricultural communities together for one the biggest fundraisers to feed the hungry in the state. Since its debut, the parade has raised more than $40,000 for programs to help alleviate want in our community.

A Wild Idea

It was the wild idea of Lambert Cissel’s to found the parade, back in the summer of 2011. “We thought we might get 50 horses to parade down Lisbon’s Main Street [Frederick Road],” said Cissel, who has a passion for riding. He wanted all proceeds from registration fees to be donated to local banks.

“We live in Howard County, one of the most affluent counties in America — yet thousands of children go hungry every day in our county because of the struggling economy,” said Cissel, who was born at the end of the Depression Era and raised on what is now known as Sharp’s at Waterford Farm. “I grew up the son of a farm laborer. We weren’t rich, but we made do with what we had. During tough times, we went without meals to make do.”

With the help of Howard Lasky, owner of the Town Grill, and other locals who formed the parade committee, the parade quickly grew to include more than 500 horses, ponies, mules and riders, plus carriages, stagecoaches and wagons, just in the first year. It grew exponentially for the next few years until 2015, when a different type of “horsepower” was employed; giving the horses a break, the parade committee drew upon the local farming community to showcase a lighted tractor parade and evening Christmas village celebration.

Presented by the Howard County Farm Bureau, the Great Lisbon Farmers Feed the Hungry Parade has grown to include horses and tractors, followed by an evening of festivities. All proceeds go to benefit the Howard County Food Bank (HCFB), Carroll County Food Sunday (CCFS), Farmers and Hunters Feed the Hungry (FHFH) and the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD).

More Than a Parade

For some, the parade is a chance to showcase their horses and tractors; for the spectators, it’s a chance to get out to Howard County’s rural west to watch hundreds of horses and tractors make their way down the historic national road, and to enjoy the evening’s fun-filled festivities.
But for those who often go hungry, it means so much more.

To put this into perspective, in Maryland there are more than 760,000 people reported to be food insecure. Yet, according to the Maryland Food Bank, one in eight Marylanders are food insecure and Marylanders collectively miss more than 134 million meals a year. For Maryland food banks, monetary contributions really matter. For every dollar contributed, three meals can be provided.

Since the inception of the parade, the main benefactors have come to depend on the funds. The proceeds from the 2015 parade were distributed in this past May; both food banks received $2,500, while $1,500 was presented to both LVFD and FHFH.

According to Edward Leister for the CCFS, the Lisbon Christmas Parade donation has consistently been the second largest donation received each year since the parade began.

“The parade has become an integral part of our budget,” said Edward Leister, executive director of CCFS. “The funds raised and donated to CCFS pays for an entire week of serving those who are food insecure.”

In 2015, CCFS served 17,944 families in need composed of 45,431 people who were given 315,257 pounds of food. “Through the parade, awareness has been raised about hunger and it has helped us grow so that we can give those in need nutritious meals,” Leister said.

In Howard County, there are more than 22,000 individuals served each year through the HCFB, as well as 14 emergency food pantries. The Food Bank relies on donations from individuals, groups, community food drives, farms as well as partners with grocery stores and supermarkets to fulfill its mission to provide food for Howard County residents in need. The food bank also works with individuals who have needs during a time of crisis.

One such need was brought on by the recent flood that devastated historic Ellicott City and left many residents temporarily homeless. The HCFB provided Ellicott City’s flood victims with non-perishables and essentials.

According to Josh Wilson, executive director for FHFH, Maryland’s farmers and hunters donated 2,646 deer which provided 104,840 pounds of venison, enough for 419,360 servings. The group partners with food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens and feeding ministries to serve the hungry.

[BY The] Fall of 2019

“We are very thankful the support given to our cause by the Lisbon Christmas Parade,” said Wilson. “Last year the parade’s contribution helped us pay for the processing and distribution of enough nutritious venison for 3,000 meals. The parade is a fantastic event that helps make a real difference for the people of the community.”

The surrounding community also benefits through the services provided by the LVFC, which is conducting a capital fundraising campaign that will fund construction of a badly needed new facility. The proceeds from the parade, along with other fundraising efforts, help towards the nearly $4 million needed for the project.

“The goal we have set for completion is the fall of 2019,” which will coincide with the fire company’s 75th anniversary, said Carey McIntosh, chief of the LVFC. “Our focus has always been on helping the community, and while we appreciate the donations from the parade, we also feel privileged to be able to help raise funds for the needy in the community in which we live and serve.”

Getting Involved

There are several ways to participate in the parade, from entering horses and tractors into the parade to being a vendor at the Christmas Village on the grounds of the future LVFD facility, to funding the parade as a sponsor, hero or helper. As a spectator, you can also contribute to the food drive that will accompany the parade.

To learn more about contributing and what’s planned for this year’s parade, visit www.lisbonchristmasparade.org.

The organizers of The Great Lisbon FARMERS FEED THE HUNGRY Christmas Parade are pleased to announce that HORSES will once again be part of the annual Lisbon Christmas Parade, scheduled for Saturday, December 10, 2016.

In 2015, organizers were disappointed to have to cancel, due to logistical reasons, the annual Lisbon
Christmas Horse Parade. However, our local ag community – dedicated to the cause of raising money for the local food banks and fire department – rallied around a NEW parade, this one featuring decorated tractors and dubbed The Great Lisbon FARMERS FEED THE HUNGRY Christmas Parade. The new parade raised almost the same amount of money as the horse parade,: over $9,000, due to a long list of community supporters and sponsors (see below). Not bad for a last minute event!

Organizers have now merged the two very successful parades; the 2016 parade will feature horses AND
tractors! Stay tuned for more details soon!

The Howard County Farm Bureau

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. When one door closes, another door opens.  And that proved true with the 2015 Lisbon Christmas Parade. As a result of the canceled horse parade, neighboring farmers embraced the substitute tractor parade, and all agreed that the partnership greatly enhanced the parade’s relationship with the community. For the first time the Christmas Vendor Village was “the place to be” after the parade, with activities centered around the Manor Hill Beer Garden and the great bonfire – and more vendors than ever before. The Lisbon Fire Department had the largest post-parade turn-
out for its chicken dinner.

The parade organizers are pleased to announce that the parade will now operate under the umbrella of The Howard County Farm Bureau! The goals of the parade committee and the mission of the Howard County Farm Bureau dovetail nicely: to promote and perpetuate western Howard County agriculture – including horses!

Farm Bureau has also had a long tradition of supporting programs to help feed the hungry, including
supporting the parade’s new beneficiary, the Maryland chapter of Farmers & Hunters Feed the Hungry. This program helps to cover the costs of processing game meat that is donated by farmers and hunters for our food banks.

Check Presentations – Christmas in May

Since its debut, no matter its incarnation, the Lisbon Christmas Parade has raised over $40,000 for programs to help alleviate want in our community.

On Thursday, May 19, 2016, The Great Lisbon FARMERS FEED THE HUNGRY Christmas Parade Committee presented donation checks to the Howard County and Carroll County Food Banks, the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Department and the Maryland chapter of Farmers & Hunters Feed the Hungry.

$2,500 was presented to each food bank, while $1,500 was presented LVFD and FHFH. According to Edward Leister for the Carroll County Food Bank (Carroll County Food Sunday), the Lisbon Christmas Parade donation has consistently been the second largest donation received each year since the parade began.