Wal-Mart West's Santa's workshop float won the grand prize in Saturday's Casper Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Downtown Merchants & Professionals Association.

The 17th annual parade, "Christmas at the North Pole," was a huge success as the streets of downtown Casper were packed with adults and children of all ages enjoying not only the parade but free hot chocolate and cookies provided by the association at various locations along the route.

The highlight of the evening was of course Santa, who arrived atop a Bar Nunn fire truck. A spokesperson for Santa said he was excited to be in Casper and enjoyed seeing all the good girls and boys lining the parade route.

Wal-Mart West's grand prize of $500 will be used for its Associate Relations Fund, which provides financial assistance when an associate is in need of assistance due to an emergency.

Other category winners included:

- Decorated Vehicle ($100): Independence Rock Lodge # 56, a red 1961 King Midget owned by Earl Johnson and a small train owned by Ed Burgess. Lodge #56 will donate its winnings to Seton House.

- Equestrian ($100): Central Wyo Pony Express with its 10 horses and riders lit up for the holiday season. The group plans to use its winnings for expenses during a trip to Washington, D.C., for the 150th Pony Express Anniversary.

- Horse Drawn ($100): T.L. Crimm Drilling & Crimm Bros. Cattle Co., a Conestoga wagon drawn by two mules, Jiggs and Jake, who were each sporting lighted reindeer antlers for their holiday outing. The Crimms' will donate their prize money to Coats for Kids.

- Walking Group/Band & Dance ($100): Natrona County High School Dance Team, 10 talented young ladies under the direction of Cheryl Straughan. This is the dance team's second year and their prize will be used to help pay for dance warm-up suits.

- Automobile ($100): Oil Capital Auto Club, 10 unique automobiles made up their entry.