Santa Claus soon will be coming to town for Mount Airy’s holiday parade and, similar to his elves, organizers are working hard to make that event a memorable occasion.
“The Mount Airy Downtown Business Association (DBA) is excited to present the annual Christmas parade for the city of Mount Airy and neighboring communities,” according to an announcement by Jennie Lowry, an official of that group.
It is scheduled for Nov. 26, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with Mount Airy’s parade to again be a nighttime event, a format first implemented in 2019. Plans call for the procession to leave from Veterans Memorial Park on West Lebanon Street at 5 p.m. en route to the central business district.
The parade route will follow West Lebanon onto North Main Street and then meander through the downtown area.
It is to feature “beautiful floats and lights, with numerous entries already registered,’” the information from Lowry added. “And, of course, Santa Claus will make an appearance at the end of the parade.”
The Mount Airy Christmas Parade, being the first annually in the local area, serves as the unofficial kickoff to the yuletide season and upcoming holiday events in the area such as the Half-Mile of Christmas Cheer, tree lighting at City Hall and others spearheaded by various local organizations.
The nighttime parade has been a hit, including the added ability it offers to light up floats for more spectacular displays than had been possible with daytime events.
Honorary grand marshals
The theme for the 2022 parade is “There’s No Place Like Mayberry for the Holidays,” and fittingly, persons connected to a part of that phenomenon will be serving as honorary grand marshals.
This role is to be filled by family members of the late Alma Venable. She operated Mayberry Motor Inn, and often portrayed the Aunt Bea character from “The Andy Griffith Show” during the annual Mayberry Days Parade and various other events downtown.
Over the years, visiting celebrities to Mayberry Days have stayed at Venable’s establishment in addition to groups of fans.
Venable, who died on Sept. 4, also maintained a large collection of memorabilia that included items once owned by Francis Bavier, the actress who played Aunt Bea on the series.
The Mount Airy Christmas Parade long has been sponsored by the Downtown Business Association, which stages the event in partnership with the Mount Airy Visitors Center and Veterans Memorial Park.
Small Business Saturday
The upcoming Christmas Parade will coincide with the annual observance of Small Business Saturday, which has been the case in recent years.
Small Business Saturday is a special holiday promotion created in 2010, during a recession.
It is held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when the public is encouraged to shop “small” by bringing more Christmas shopping traffic to smaller businesses such as those downtown.
Extended shopping hours also will be scheduled downtown in the upcoming weeks, according to the DBA parade announcement.
“Many downtown merchants are already donning their Christmas decorations to provide a festive atmosphere for the holiday weekend and the upcoming season,” it states.
For those interested in participating in the Mount Airy parade, applications and event rules can be picked up at Mount Airy Visitor Center, where completed applications may be returned.