Winterfest Parade Moves To Evening
Big changes are in store for a local community’s Christmas celebration. For the first time ever, Anderson will be holding its annual Winterfest Christmas parade at night and on a new day.
The event this year will be Friday night, Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m. on Main Street in Anderson. Organizers say they decided to move the celebration this year from its usual spot on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for several reasons.
“It seems like we were losing a lot of participation because the schools were out all the week prior to the parade for the Thanksgiving break,” said Ken Schutten, one of the parade organizers.
“In fact, culture has changed so much that many people were out of town that weekend. We had also talked
about moving the parade to a night celebration for a year or so. It just turns out that Dec. 7 is the day that Anderson was incorporated as a city back in 1909, so we settled on that Friday night for a Christmas parade and a birthday celebration.”
Organizers are encouraging businesses, churches, civic organizations, school groups and individuals to enter this year and come up with entries that are geared toward a night parade.
“We’re excited to see the creativity of people who enter this year, to see how they light up the night on Main Street,” Schutten said.
After the parade, organizers say everyone is invited to come to Town Hole and celebrate with a “Christmas in the Park” complete with pictures with Santa, food vendors, live music and more.
Also new for this year is the Winterfest baby contest. The event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 10:30 a.m. at the Exciting Living Word Fellowship Church in Anderson. Parents are encouraged to enter their sons or daughters in the contest. New for this year is a 3-year-old category. The top three participants in each age group will receive a ribbon.
The Winterfest Business Open House tour will be Saturday, Dec. 8. Various businesses will be open that day and offer giveaways, drawings and specials to lure in holiday shoppers.
Another Winterfest activity continues its longstanding tradition of getting folks into the holiday spirit by hitting the streets. The Winterfest 5K Run and Walk takes place Saturday, Nov. 17, at Anderson City Hall Park.
Registration for the event opens at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning. Cost of the run or walk is $30. The first 50 who register will get a free T-shirt and goody bag. Money raised from the event goes to help buy new playground equipment for Anderson City parks.
The run and walk start at 8 a.m. Winners in each age group will receive a medal and a set of historic Anderson postcards. For more information on all the events, check out the Anderson Betterment Club’s website at www.anderson betterment.org.