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BEVERLY - It seemed as if every square inch of Dodge Park was filled Sunday evening with either a person or some kind of Christmas decoration as the community kicked off the holiday season.

The evening began with the annual Christmas parade, which formed at Waterford High School and followed Ohio 339 into Beverly and ended at the park for a lighting ceremony. The park was decorated with about 40,000 lights for the holiday season.

Charles and Cassie Jackson, of Waterford, were among the hundreds who lined the parade route. They brought their three children, Josie, 7; Julianna, 5; and Jenna, 3, who said they were excited at the prospect of seeing Santa for the first time this year.

"I want a Dora (the Explorer) game for the computer," Josie said.

The child's mother rolled her eyes at the request.

"I don't know what it is," she said. "Something for the computer."

Several area businesses and service organizations participated in the 45-minute long parade, sponsored by the Beverly-Waterford Chamber of Commerce.

The parade has grown every year since it began about a dozen years ago. Like the parade, the lighting of the park began small, with a group of six or eight Beverly merchants who were working on a village holiday lighting project.

At the park, crowds were treated with hot cocoa, cookies and the sights and sounds of a handbell choir.

"Where else have you ever seen anything so adorable?" said Mary Thomas, 54, of Waterford. "I attend this every year, and every year it just gets better."

The village of Beverly is located on Ohio 60, about 20 miles north of Marietta, and Waterford is just across the Muskingum River. The neighboring communities are connected via the Ohio 339 bridge.