By Sarah Richardson
The annual Shanghai Parade took to Lewisburg’s main street on Thursday, Jan. 1, to welcome in the 2026 New Year. This year’s parade, as usual, showcased a lively mix of floats, performers, and local organizations all celebrating a wonky tradition that continues to bring people together year after year.
According to a 2018 article in HashtagWV, “The origins, the history, the beginnings of this parade are questionable and enigmatic. Some say it began in the late 1800’s or perhaps even earlier. There is a myriad of theories as to the beginnings including the thought that a Pocahontas County fiddle tune named ‘Shanghai’ may be associated with the tradition. Some older residents of this part of the state recall that ‘shanghaiing’ once went on for days, usually in the week before and the week after Christmas. Everyone agrees that it does have Scotch-Irish and German ties.
According to one of the judges, ‘Between Christmas and New Year’s in the 1800s, groups of people would form parties and travel over the countryside, visiting friends and neighbors. They would dress up with costumes and masks, and apparently that’s how the parade got its start.’ And this tradition was called a ‘colie shangle,’ which may have morphed through time and retelling into Shanghai. Some say it was a missionary who brought the tradition from China, or a traveling musician who sang about a Shanghai rooster. Nobody knows for sure, no one is left to tell the tale, so sometimes the point of a tradition is the existence of the tradition itself.
From a 1930’s news article about the gathering: ‘Let millionaire and pauper meet, and go marching down the street. The lid is off, fun is rife, let’s have the best time of your life.’”
Winners of the 2026 Shanghai Parade are as follows:
Volunteers of the Year:
Bill and Gloria Martin
Antique Cars:
First Place – Jeremy Thomas, 1965 International Scout
Second Place – Jerry Vance, 1948 Plymouth Coupe
Third Place – Tom Foster, 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe
Musical:
First Place – Greenbrier Valley Music Foundation “Playing into 2026”
Floats:
First Place – The Beard Family, Year of the Horse
Second Place – Greenbrier River Optimistic Ukulele Players
Third Place – The Democratic Executive Committee
Farm Equipment:
First Place – The Huffmans and friends
Second Place – Entry #419
Third Place – Ollie Mullens “The Shark”
Walker 1:
First Place – Laura Plumley
Second Place – Holden Runyon, Simba and gang
Third Place – Cathy Romage
Walker 3+:
First Place – The Knights
Second Place – The Greenbrier Goat
Third Place – Lewisburg Girl Scout Troop 31919
Spirit Awards:
Joe Ellis Memorial Tradition Award – The Beards, Year of the Horse
Mary Satterfield Spirit Award – The Greenbrier Valley Music Foundation
Chairman’s Award – The Greenbrier Goat
Jim Wills Memorial Award – The Knights
Oldest Participant – Mary Alice Beard, 91.5 years old
Youngest Participant – Ellie Mae Mitchin, 3 weeks, 3 days old
Farthest Traveled – Ellie Mae Mitchin
