The Oak Ridge Christmas Parade last year featured floats and more than 100 businesses, clubs, and community organizations. This year’s parade is Saturday, Dec. 14. (File photo by D. Ray Smith)
The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is busy preparing for its annual Christmas Parade to be held on Saturday, Dec. 14. This year’s theme is “Inside Santa’s Workshop” and promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said. Businesses and community organizations have already begun registering for the parade.
The parade will begin at 6 p.m. and will begin at Corporate Center, on the corner of Lafayette and Laboratory Road. From there, the parade will travel down Lafayette to the Oak Ridge Turnpike. It will continue west on the Turnpike to Oak Ridge High School. The judge’s stand will be located in front of the Chamber.
Those participating in the parade will line up in the parking lot of Corporate Center, on the corner of Lafayette and Laboratory Road beginning at 4 p.m. Detailed information will be e-mailed to all who have registered an entry.
According to Parker Hardy, Chamber president and chief executive officer: “We always look forward to the parade each year. It’s our gift to the community, and we anticipate another big event in December. Participants put such a great effort into their entries and it shows—the creativity displayed make each entry unique. It’s our pleasure to sponsor and coordinate this event.”
The Chamber will be accepting entries online through Monday, Dec. 9. Entry forms are available on the Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org.
The Chamber will need lots of Santa’s elves to serve as volunteer parade marshals to make the parade a safe, fun, and successful event. To volunteer and be put on Santa’s “nice” list, contact Greta Ownby at ownby@orcc.org or (865) 483-1321.
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