Parade set to light up downtown

FORT SMITH — The holiday spirit is parading downtown beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The annual Fort Smith Christmas parade has taken place for many years, but this is the second time it’ll be presented by the Bonneville House, the Clayton House and the Fort Smith Museum of History and sponsored by the city.

Caroline Speir with the Museum of History said the museum participated for several years but took on its new role when the previous host, the Fort Smith Jaycees, disbanded.

“It’s definitely a longstanding tradition that we were happy to be able to continue. That’s real important to us,” Speir said.

The parade route will go along Rogers Avenue to South Sixth Street and Garrison Avenue to Towson Avenue.

Speir said last year’s event had roughly 100 floats and 2,500 attendees downtown.

“It was a lot,” said Mila Masur with The Clayton House. “The streets were full. It was very well attended.”

Masur said a new addition this year is the Pups on Parade

community float.

“You can dress your dog up and participate in the parade,” Masur said. “The group will walk behind the museum’s float, so it’ll just be owners and their pups. It’s limited to the first 20, so we still have a couple spots left available. And dogs have to be obviously people-friendly, kid-friendly, dog-friendly, and spayed or neutered to participate.”

The group has extended the parade registration deadline to today.

Links to the parade signup and an official parade route is available through the Fort Smith Christmas Parade event on Facebook.