By Keith Purtell
For the first time, Downtown Muskogee Inc. will be the primary host for the annual Christmas parade.
Under the theme “Holly Jolly Christmas,” the event is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 6. Dick Morris, also known as Hi-Bi The Clown, is tentatively set to be grand marshal.
Jonita Mullins, executive director of Downtown Muskogee, said she expects a good parade.
“The Phoenix is still offering a lot of sponsorship and support for the parade, but we’ll actually be handling the nuts and bolts of getting it all organized,” Mullins said. “It is exciting and a little scary to take on a big project like this, but the Phoenix has always done a good job in the past, and because of that, the people involved know what to do.”
Mullins said they will invite schools to have marching bands involved, they expect 40 or 50 floats, involvement by the Shriners, and many clubs and organizations.
“We felt like it was an appropriate thing for the Main Street Program to do; many of the Main Street Communities do sponsor or host their downtown Christmas event, so it is in keeping with what a lot of Main Street Communities do,” she said. “Our promotions committee is given the task of trying to create events that will bring people to the downtown, and obviously, the parade is a very large draw to get people to come to downtown Muskogee.
Mullins said she expected the streets to be well lined with spectators, possibly as many as 800 or more.
“We’re looking forward to seeing a lot of smiling faces in the downtown,” she said.
“The mission of our organization is to keep the downtown area vital and alive, and keep people aware of what is down here. And we want to create a sense that the downtown is the heart of community, and the special events of the community are best taken place downtown.”
Parade facts
WHAT: Downtown Muskogee Christmas Parade.
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Dec. 6.
ENTRY FEES: Vary with the type of entry; from free to $25.
ENTRY DEADLINE: Nov. 19.
INFORMATION: 683-2400.
Reach Keith Purtell at 918-684-2925 or Click Here to Send Email
