Christmas parade season is here
Dec. 2—HENDERSON — Downtown Henderson will come alive on Saturday afternoon as symbols of Christmas make their way down Garnett Street.
It's the annual Henderson Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Vance County Arts Council and the Downtown Economic Development Commission.
The parade includes 98 elements, "one of the largest number of entries in recent memory," said Phil Lakernick of Ballet Arts.
Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow and Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame will lead off, followed by a stream of floats, musical groups, civic and religious organizations, school groups, elected officials, local businesses, scouts and first responders.
The parade will begin at 4 p.m. and follow a route that runs from Dabney Drive Extension near Walgreens, turning onto South Garnett Street and continuing on Garnett Street to Rose Avenue.
Alice Sallins, the Arts Council executive director, invited families to watch the parade from sidewalks along the parade route.
Before the start of the parade, Dabney Drive Extension will be closed at 2:30 p.m. At 3 p.m., a portion of Dabney Drive near Auto Zone will be closed, as will Garnett Street from CVS Pharmacy to Rose Avenue, including the side streets along the parade route.
This year's parade represents a return to normal after being canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Henderson parade is just one of several in the Tri-County region.
On Friday, the annual Lighting of the Greens & Christmas Parade will take place in downtown Oxford. The day's activities will start at 4 p.m. with events to entertain kids. Vendors will provide a variety of offerings. The Lighting of the Greens will take place at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Christmas Parade at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, the Littleton Christmas parade will take place at 11 a.m. in downtown Littleton. Line up starts at 10 a.m. at the Lakeland Theatre Company on Mosby Avenue. The parade will follow a route along Mosby Avenue and U.S. 158/N.C. 903 from the light to the Piggly Wiggly.
The Warrenton Christmas parade will be held on Dec. 11. Sponsored by the Warrenton Rotary Club and town of Warrenton, the parade will march to the Rotary International's theme for 2021-2022: "Serve to Change Lives." Participants in the parade are encouraged to decorate their floats to show how they are serving people and communities to change lives. Go to http://www.warrenton.nc.gov to obtain an entry form.
The Norlina Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Norlina Volunteer Fire Department, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 18. The sponsor is inviting organizations to participate. Entry forms are available at Aycock Auto Service, 501 U.S. 1 South in Norlina, and at the Norlina Volunteer Fire Department website, Norlinafire.com. Forms may be returned to Aycock Auto Service or Town Hall, 139 Hyco St., Norlina. There is no entry fee. The deadline to return completed entry forms is noon on Thursday, Dec. 9.
