Marion Christmas Parade
Sunday, November 24 in Downtown Marion
The 2019 Marion Christmas Parade will be 3:00 PM, Sunday, November 24, 2019. The event will kick-off Thanksgiving and Christmas activities for the City of Marion. The parade is organized by the Marion Business Association and sponsored by the City of Marion. The theme for the parade is “Hometown Christmas”.
The Parade Marshal is West Court Food’s James “Bud” Hollifield. Owning and operating West Court Food Center for many years, Mr. Hollifield is now retired but the locally owned business is still a mainstay in Marion. Serving the community for more than eighty years, West Court is known for fresh meats and treating people right! From a recent McDowell News article. “I worked here for 40 straight years open to close every day. Mike owns the store now, and I just come and hang out,” Bud said. Generations have passed and much has changed over the years, but the quality of products and services remains the same. Son and current owner Mike Hollifield credits his father with the success of West Court Food Center, even though Bub said his life was the store.”
McDowell’s own award-winning McDowell High School Marching Titan Band will be featured at the beginning of the parade.
All parade float entries are required to be registered. The registration number is to be displayed in the window of the parade entry. Parade entries should be fully decorated with a Christmas theme and have all passengers loaded when arriving for parade line-up.
The deadline for registration for the Christmas Parade is Thursday, November 21. All entries are required to have a registration number and be fully decorated with all passengers loaded when arriving at the parade line-up area. Antique cars are not required to be decorated or pre-register. Emergency vehicles with PA systems are encouraged to play Christmas music. Marion Police Department does not allow candy to be thrown from any vehicle or float. Handouts by persons walking in the parade route are encouraged. The Marion Business Association and the City of Marion will sponsor the only Santa Claus in the Christmas Parade. No other Santa will be allowed in the parade. Churches may have only one bus/unit in the parade and it must be decorated.
The Parade line-up begins at 1:30 PM in the parking lot of Rose’s. All parade vehicles are to enter Robinson Road behind Rose’s and come into the parking lot. Vehicles will then be entered into the line-up. Horses will line up on Monte Vista Avenue. Horse trailers are to be taken to the Public Works Department behind the Hook & Anchor Restaurant on Rutherford Road. Horses will continue together as a unit to the Public Works Department. All horses are to remain on Monte Vista Avenue until placed into the line-up. No horses are allowed in the shopping center parking lot.
The parade procession will begin at Monte Vista Avenue and North Main Street and will finish at Spring Street and South Main Street. Walking units will enter the parade at the Community Building. The parade is to stay together until it reaches Morgan Street and all entries are to go to the end of the parade route before disbanding. Children on floats can be picked up at the Hook & Anchor Restaurant on Rutherford Road.
The Marion Business Association is accepting entries for the Christmas Parade until Thursday, November 21. There is no charge for registration. Please contact Lou Godfrey with the Marion Business Association at (828) 652-2215 to register to enter the Christmas Parade and to receive a registration number and a copy of the parade guidelines.
