The deadline to be a participant in this year’s 12th Annual Miracles Christmas Parade is looming. The final deadline to file an application to be an active parade participant is December 2nd. Application forms and complete parade rules and safety information is available on line at www.miraclesparade.com. The parade begins at 6 p.m Saturday, December 10, 2016 down 34th Street in Lubbock from Avenue Q west to Indiana Avenue.
“Invitations to participate in the nighttime, lighted Christmas parade have been extended to local and area groups, including area chambers of commerce,” said Scott Scarborough, Parade Chairman “Participants will include two marching bands from Lubbock ISD. The Lubbock High Westerner Band will join the Mustang Marching Band from Coronado High School in setting the festive mood the parade offers visitors as they watch and cheer, “ Scarborough continued.
The purpose of the annual parade is to bring joy to parade watchers, families, participants and organizers with a free festive parade for establishing family Christmas traditions. Parade Grand Marshall is the entire membership of South Plains Electric Cooperative.
An important beneficiary of the annual parade is the donation and collection of unwrapped toys for the United States Marines Toys for Tots campaign. The marines will be parade participants with the special mission of transporting Santa down the two-mile parade route on their truck, the final float. While doing so, uniformed marines will be walking and collecting unwrapped toys from the general public to support the need for toys for area youth who might not have a toy this Christmas. Parade watchers are being urged to bring toys for the marine collection efforts.
Year round toy collectors for this event are David and Lavell Baker of Lubbock. The Bakers have worked every week this past year collecting toys from area stores and groups. Several thousand toys have been collected and will be presented to the marines during the parade. These amazing extraordinary efforts by the Bakers still do not fill the anticipated need for toys, thus the request for additional unwrapped toys from parade observers the night of the parade, Saturday, December 10th.
This year’s parade is expected to draw more than 35,000 excited citizens from not only Lubbock, but also the entire South Plains. The free parade is expected to create fabulous excitement for about 90 minutes as it moves east to west down 34th Street. Parade units and floats will be adorned with thousands of lights and spectacular decorations. At least one car club has entered, along with the antique tractors from the South Plains Antique Tractor Association. The public is invited and urged to attend this free parade December 10th in Lubbock. For more information go to www.miraclesparade.com.
For more information, media can contact Spike Wideman at 806-787-9969.
(News release from the Miracles Christmas Parade)
