Don’t forget: Christmas parades this week
It’s time for Christmas, and all three of Polk County’s cities will be holding parades this year to ring in the holiday season.
Starting with the annual Cedartown Christmas Parade on Dec. 1 to start at 6 p.m., local residents will have a chance to see the fioats, bands and more that help make the holiday season bright , so long as the weather holds out.
Cedartown will have a rain date on Dec. 2 should the parade get rained out.
Their theme this year, “The Christmas Giving Tree,” also promotes giving back to the community by making donations to a variety of organizations . Those donations are still being taken up, and thus far a variety of local groups has taken part in making Christmas bright for local families and youth who don’t have the means to supplement Santa’s load of presents.
Prizes will be awarded in three categories and all entries will be judged based on the year’s theme. Category one will be a church division with a $500 first place prize, a $300 second placed prize and a $200 third place prize. Category two will be an open division with a $500 first place prize, a $300 second place prize and a $200 third place prize. Category three is “Most Outstanding” with only a first place award of $500.
St. Nick will also be in Rockmart on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. with a rain date on Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. if necessary.
Rockmart’s annual parade theme this year is “Christmas… A Time of Celebration” and will also match that of the Rockmart Community Chorus, who is also performing their annual holiday show this weekend. (See more info in this week’s full edition of the Standard Journal.)
Though there is no fee to participate in the parade, there is one to participate in contests for best float.
Prizes available this year are $500 for first place, $200 for second place, and $100 for third place in two different categories. There’s a separate category for churches, and one for schools, clubs and nonprofits.
Santa will be leading the parade through the City of Aragon’s mill village on Saturday, Dec. 3 starting at 7 p.m. Organizers are encouraging all residents to participate in the parade for free.
The pair of annual parades in Cedartown and Rockmart have wrapped up their entry process on Nov. 28, along with Aragon’s new parade.
Go online to Polkstandardjournal. com to find out more about parade routes and where streets will be blocked off.
Also go this weekend to the newspaper’s website to find photos from the parades.