Vaughn Salisbury was walking Saturday toward downtown Lawrence to get a haircut when he ran into a parade.

At Eighth and Connecticut streets, Salisbury saw a long line of colorful, horse-drawn wagons decorated for the Christmas season.

The procession was preparing to roll up to Seventh and Massachusetts streets for the start of the 11th annual Eldridge Hotel Old Fashioned Christmas Parade.

“This is pretty neat,” Salisbury said, as he put his haircut on hold to watch the wagons with his wife, Sharon Billings, and their 2-year-old daughter, Meriel.

“We’re new to Lawrence, so this is the first time we’ve seen this,” Salisbury said. The family moved in September from Fayetteville, Ark., to Lawrence.

More than 100 entries were in this year’s parade and most were wagons. Thousands of people put up with a cold, sunless morning and gathered along both sides of Massachusetts Street to watch.

Prior to the parade, John Clifton stood next to a team of six 2,000-pound shire horses ready to pull what would have been a large freight wagon in the 1880s. The horses belong to Shawn Gordon of Willard, Mo., where he owns a carriage service. The horses and the wagon had been on display downtown earlier in the week.

Clifton, an employee, and the Gordons have been bringing horses to the parade for six years.

“I’ve had a good time every year,” Clifton said. “They really know how to take care of you here.”

Remington, a shire horse, rears up in midtrot while pulling Shawn Gordon, left, Willard, Mo, and Larry Elarton, Fort Morgan, Colo., on a hitch wagon. Gordon's six-horse hitch wagon was one of about 100 horse-drawn entries participating Saturday in the 11th annual Eldridge Hotel Old Fashioned Christmas Parade along Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence.

On the other end of the scales, Tim Mendenhall’s small, Christmas wreath-covered wagon was pulled by two miniature Sicilian donkeys, each about 35 inches tall.

“They are very people-oriented,” Mendenhall, of Leavenworth, said of his donkeys. “They are gentle-natured and great with kids.”

Mendenhall has been bringing his donkeys to the parade for several years. “As far as I’m concerned this is the best parade around because it is all equestrian.”

One of the more unusual entries in the parade was a renovated 1885 hearse, complete with an on-board wicker casket. It was pulled by two giant Percheron horses.

“It gets us a lot of attention,” Gus Rowell, of Kansas City, Mo., said with a chuckle, as he sat on the wagon’s seat next to his father, Dave Rowell.

Parade-goers line Massachusetts Street to watch horses and buggies during the 11th annual Eldridge Hotel Old Fashioned Christmas Parade. More than 200 horses pulled carriages and carts in the parade Saturday in downtown Lawrence.

Lynn Saunders, of rural Jefferson County, has been watching the annual parade for several years. They keep getting better, she said.

“It’s a great way to start off the season,” Saunders said. “I’m always impressed with the number of wagons and how far they come to be in the parade. I’m a horse person, so I know how difficult it is to bring them.”

Horse and wagon owners came from throughout the region, including Colorado and Texas, according to the Eldridge Hotel Web site. Rob Phillips, owner of the hotel, originated and organized the parade.

Crowds packed both sides of Massachusetts Street, from Seventh Street to 11th Street, to watch the 11th annual Eldridge Hotel Old Fashioned Christmas Parade, despite cold weather. Saturday's high topped out at a chilly 36 degrees. Today is expected to warm up to 55.