Washington’s Christmas parade set for Dec. 13

Published 5:08 pm Wednesday, December 2, 2020

The City of Washington and Washington Kiwanis Club are set to hold the city’s annual Christmas parade down Main Street at 3 p.m. on Dec. 13, but this year’s installment will look different than usual amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

There will be very few moving parts in this year’s parade. Bobby Roberson, president of the Kiwanis Club, said all of the floats will remain in place throughout the event, and people will be allowed to walk around and view the floats at their own leisure.

Roberson said organizers are limiting the amount of floats to 80 entries. He said approximately 15 entries had been submitted as of Monday. Nonprofits can register their floats for free, and for-profit companies can register floats for $35. That money will support the Kiwanis Club’s scholarship fund.

“Last year we had 189 floats,” Roberson said. “We felt that because of the coronavirus, we would go with the stationary parade this year and let people walk or drive around and view the floats.”

Mayor Pro Tem Richard Brooks has been invited to participate in the parade, Roberson said, and Santa will make an appearance as well.

The Kiwanis Club is advising everyone who plans on attending the parade to wear a mask and follow social distancing protocols.

Washington’s Christmas parade is typically held earlier in December, but it was pushed back this year in light of the recently completed streetscape project on Main Street.

The entry form for the Christmas parade can be found online at http://washingtonkiwanis.org/. Applications are being handled on a first-come, first-served basis.