The Saturday before Christmas Eve, something special happens on Main Street in East Aurora.
More than 2,000 locals and visitors alike gather to raise their voices in familiar holiday songs. The program consists of both older Christmas carols and new favorites—songbooks are available, but many of us know all the words by heart. Everyone is welcome to join in, and there is no cost.
The event is Carolcade, a village tradition that has lasted more than 50 years.
The essence of Carolcade is simple: singing and togetherness. It started simply too; a few Girl Scouts singing in the aisles of Vidler’s 5 & 10 back in 1968. Proprietor Ed Vidler was inspired to advertise a free box of candy to “any bona fide Christmas carol group” that would sing in front of the store. By 1972, more than 20 groups arrived to sing throughout December. In 1973, community leaders organized the spectacle into a singing event on a single night.
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“There were a couple hundred people on Main Street for that first Carolcade,” says Aurora Town Historian Robert Lowell Goller. “There’s a picture in the [East Aurora] Advertiser that shows Billie Lucas playing a guitar with one little microphone.”
Carolcade singers in 1980.
Billie, a barbershop quartet singer, was joined in following years by the Salvation Army Band and many more singers. He served as master of ceremonies for decades, handing off that duty to Robert in 2005. The role is not tied to Robert’s job as town historian, but he brings an appreciation of tradition and community to the event, donning a top hat and historical garb while leading the singing.
A lifelong attendee, Robert has often acted as a Carolcade ambassador. When classmates at SUNY Geneseo thought his description too quaint to credit, he got proof.
Jeremy, right, joins his sister Rachael and their nephew Stellan in singing at Carolcade in 2022.
“I took a camcorder—that’s before cell phones had everything—and brought back a VHS tape and showed my college roommates,” he recalls. “They couldn’t visualize it; they couldn’t believe it … it was just too Norman Rockwell.”
For this writer, the Carolcade memories go back decades.
As a small child, I’d join my parents to sing and then welcome friends home for a party. Years later, as a teenage clerk, I’d be busy handing out hot chocolate in front of Vidler’s or cleaning up slushy snow tracked by carolers who stepped into the store for warmth. While editor of the Advertiser, I’d help with the sound system and snap photos for the newspaper. More recently, I’ve been happy to simply join my relatives in singing, greeting old acquaintances and introducing new family members to this beloved tradition.
Carolcade's continued success and longevity depends on a collective effort, according to Robert.
“We raise money to fund the sound system, and the Department of Public Works closes down the road,” he explains. “A lot of volunteer hours and logistics go into putting the event on for an hour … we’ve worked hard to make sure it’s just a simple Christmas caroling event. People are bringing their kids and grandkids to experience what they experienced.”
