Christmas Parade Association

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10,000-plus people brave cold along different path

By Owen Covington

Messenger-Inquirer

A big change to the route of the Owensboro-Daviess County Christmas Parade brought little change to the crowd of hundreds that turned out to kick off the holiday season and cheer on the brightly lit floats and marching bands that made their way down Second Street on Saturday.

More than 10,000 people turned out despite the cold weather for the two-hour march along one of Owensboro's main drags that is an annual tradition for many in the community.

The procession was kicked off by grand marshals Keith Lawrence of the Messenger-Inquirer and the Kentucky Bisons basketball team and wrapped up with a waving Santa Claus riding atop the final float.

Jeremy and Amanda Boswell of Owensboro staked out a prime spot by Owensboro Grain near the parade's start with their three children to watch the floats float past.

This was the first parade for the youngest member of the Boswell clan, and the couple wanted to make sure 16-month-old Reese and her brothers, 5-year-old Mason and 7-year-old Nolan, had a good spot to take in the sights.

There was another motivation to positioning themselves near the start of the parade route -- sweet treats.

"The beginning is better because there's more candy," Amanda Boswell said with a laugh.

Supplementing the candy being handed out from floats and members of the parade, vendors peddled cotton candy and lighted toys along the route.

Vendor Bob Gibson of Mount Vernon, Ind., said this year's hot item was a lighted sword. Children all along the route cut through the air with the green, glowing toys.

Those toys competed with the flashing lights of the police cruisers and fire trucks that helped lead off the parade and the multi-colored blinking and winking lights that adorned many of the more than 100 entries in the parade this year.

Although not sporting the bright lights of other entries, the horses and llamas with the Dream Riders 4-H Horse Club caught the attention of those lining the route.

But the applause was often saved for Misty Jones, who served on the "poop patrol" that followed the horses, llamas and basset hound in the group to clean up any "accidents."

Jones said jokingly that she chose the patrol over walking with a llama because of the training that goes into following along behind.

"There has to be a certain amount of certification that goes into it," Jones said with a smile.

Tony and Robin Trego took in the parade with their granddaughters Carolina and Belle Potter from the bed of their truck parked just off Second Street west of the Glover H. Cary Bridge.

The couple had parked the truck downtown about 9:30 a.m. Saturday to save a good viewing spot.

Robin Trego said moving the route from Frederica Street to downtown was a good idea.

"It brings more people downtown," Trego said of the change. "It's a downtown thing."

Whether it was downtown or on Frederica Street, Belle wanted to make sure she could see the drums, flutes, clarinets and horns of the marching bands participating Saturday.

"I like the marching bands," Belle said.

Another popular attraction for the parade was the free hot chocolate and coffee being handed out near Frederica and West Second streets by The Salvation Army.

Capt. Paul Gilliam said that only 45 minutes into the parade and with the temperature in the lower 30s, the group's volunteers had already gone through 15 gallons of hot chocolate and several gallons of coffee.

"It's just a way to say thank you to your community," Gilliam said. "It's just a lot of fun for us."

-- First: Majesty Academy
-- Second: Owensboro Street Department
-- Third: Owensboro Lions Club
-- Fourth: Cub Scout Pack 611

-- First: Pleasant Grove Baptist Church
-- Second: Yelvington Baptist Church Youth Group

-- First: Skates Alive
-- Second: First Impressions Lawn Service
-- Third: Home Depot
-- Fourth: Shear Perfection Salon

-- First: Owensboro Street Department
-- Second: City of Owensboro Facilities Maintenance Department and Neighborhood Alliances
-- Third: Owensboro Sanitation Department

-- First: Friends
-- Second: Kentucky Fastpitch Mustangs
-- Third: Owensboro Lions Club
-- Fourth: Community Solutions for Substance Abuse

-- First: Majesty Academy
-- Second: Owensboro Middle School Cheerleaders
-- Third: Kentucky Wesleyan College

A timer on the Owensboro-Daviess County Christmas Parade's Web site is counting down -- to the second -- the start of the 72nd annual Christmas Parade.

And with Saturday's parade quickly approaching, participants have just a few days left to get their floats ready for the event. This year's theme is "Oh Let Your Light Shine."

"It's kind of a guide for everybody to use to come up with their float designs," Kevin Bruner, parade chairman, said of the theme. "It also gives the judges something to judge against: How well does your float interpret that particular theme?"

Awards are given in several categories: Schools and school clubs; organizations, clubs and scouts; churches and church organizations; government and municipalities; and commercial. There is also an award for most effective use of lighting.

Judges are taken to a secret location during the parade where they can see each entry.

Organizers "keep the identities of the judges a secret" so people can't try to influence their choices, Bruner said.

Judges award one to five points in several areas including Christmas theme originality, interpretation of the parade theme and electric light enhancement.

The Owensboro street department won the government and municipalities division last year and is looking to defend its title. Employees began working on their float for this year's parade on Monday.

"It's kind of hard to come up with an idea," crew leader Tom Hall said. "We did well last year. It's hard to top that."

The street department plans to incorporate the parade's theme into a float that will also focus on the new riverfront development and governmental funding that has been given to Daviess County.

Hall said the department enjoys participating in the parade because children like the floats, and it represents the Christmas spirit. "It's a chance for everybody to work together and share," he said.

This year's grand marshal is Messenger-Inquirer reporter Keith Lawrence, and the Kentucky Bisons American Basketball Association team will be the honorary grand marshal.

Marching bands from all four local high schools are scheduled to attend this year's parade, and Western Kentucky University's Big Red Marching Band will also perform.

"As far as I know, this will be our first collegiate marching band," Bruner said. "We're kind of excited about that."

Western's mascot, Big Red, will be available for photographs before the parade. Big Red will be at Second Street and J.R. Miller Boulevard, which is where the local chapter of the Western Alumni Association will have seating.

The Big Red Marching Band is being sponsored by the WKU-Owensboro campus.

The Christmas Parade's route has also changed this year. The parade will start at Second and Pearl streets -- one block east of Triplett Street -- and end at Second and Walnut, near the Executive Inn Rivermont.

Though some residents think the Christmas Parade is produced by the city or county governments, it's actually put on by a committee, Bruner said.

The Christmas Parade Association accepts donations to help the parade continue.

"It's seven individuals that think we should have a Christmas parade each year," Bruner said.

To Attend

-- The 72nd annual Christmas Parade will be at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in downtown Owensboro. The parade will be shown on Time Warner cable channel 8 at 8 p.m., Saturday and 4 p.m., Nov. 27. The parade will then be shown at 6 p.m., Wednesdays and 2 p.m., Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

-- The Owensboro Transit System's operating hours will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday because of the parade.

By Keith Lawrence

Messenger-Inquirer

Santa Claus is coming to town on Nov. 22.

But he'll be coming from a different direction this year.

For the past 35 years, the Owensboro-Daviess County Christmas Parade has marched north from Ninth and Frederica streets headed into downtown.

This year, though, the route is changing.

The parade will step off from Second and Pearl streets -- one block east of Triplett Street -- and end at Second and Walnut, near the old Executive Inn Rivermont.

"When I was in middle school, I remember the parade starting at Daviess County Middle School and going through downtown," Kevin Bruner, parade chairman, said Monday.

"This route sounds shorter than the Frederica Street route," he said. "But it's actually only one block shorter."

The change is being made because of increasing traffic on the CSX railroad tracks that cut through the parade's old staging area on Frederica Street, Bruner said.

Just before the 2006 parade, a train clipped the edge of a float sponsored by the Daviess County Detention Center and Mothers Against Drunk Driving -- which went on to place third in the governmental and municipalities category.

The collision knocked out a string of lights and ripped some netting.

But float workers had spare lights and netting and parade watchers couldn't tell that the float had survived a run-in with a train.

But Bruner said there have been a few other close calls between trains and floats in other years.

CSX, he said, has told the parade association that it expects train traffic to increase through Owensboro over the next few years.

CSX officials did not return Messenger-Inquirer phone calls Tuesday, asking for details about the increased traffic.

But a report last week by the Association of American Railroads says that rail volume for the first 35 weeks of 2008 on 12 U.S. and Canadian railroads was down 81,333 carloads -- to 13.99 million -- from the same period last year.

Bruner said the theme of the city's 72nd annual Christmas parade -- which bills itself as "Kentucky's largest Christmas parade" -- will be "Oh Let Your Light Shine."

Entries will be accepted until Nov. 8 on the parade's Web site, www.ChristmasParade.net, he said.

The parade will begin at 4:30 p.m. this year, as it has since 1990.

Bruner said the new route will mean that less of Frederica Street will be blocked for the parade.

"Before, we've had to block Frederica from Parrish Avenue to the river," he said. "This year, we'll just have to block to Fourth Street."

By Joanie Baker

Messenger-Inquirer

Owensboro Police Chief John Kazlauskas said one of the perks of his job is leading the Owensboro-Daviess County Christmas Parade each year in the department's 1956 Ford cruiser.

For the past five years, the chief has led the second-largest parade in Kentucky during the final leg of his 40-year career at the police department -- and parade officials decided he deserved one more perk.

Just minutes before Sorgho fifth-grader Will Sims blew a whistle to start the downtown event Saturday, parade chairman Kevin Bruner surprised the chief with a plaque and honorary grand marshal signs that were quickly applied to the sides of Kazlauskas' car.

"It's good to be chief," a surprised Kazlauskas said with a giant grin.

Bruner said the parade committee decided about three weeks ago to honor the chief, who is retiring Nov. 30, in addition to having Marianne Smith Edge and Martha Clark of Owensboro's Impact 100 as grand marshals.

"He's done a good job for Owensboro," Bruner said. "He's done a lot of things for the department ... and moved us into the next century."

Bruner said 12,000 to 15,000 smiling faces were expected to greet the chief during his final parade ride down Frederica Street. And with the clear weather and temperatures that stayed in the high 50s, Bruner said there would probably be a larger crowd than usual.

All 110 units lined up in parking lots around Frederica Street after one float last year was clipped by a train after it lined up near the railroad tracks.

Owensboro police Sgt. Jim Parham said CSX agreed this year to slow its train traffic from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and then to discontinue traffic until 6:30 p.m.

The change in lining up didn't seem to affect the flow of the 71st annual parade, as units zigzagged from side streets and into the main row.

Eleven-year-old Angel Thomas anxiously waited atop the Owensboro-Daviess County Youth Football League Cardinals cheerleaders float as it waited its turn to join the stream. Angel said she didn't help build the brightly lit, red float, but she did help eat some of the candy.

"My favorite part is waving and acting famous," she said.

Sarah Coffman, deputy at the Daviess County Detention Center, was also eager to see the department's "Wizard of Oz" float move forward.

While inmates in the GOALS Substance Abuse Program painted a yellow brick road to border the ride, Coffman said jail officials worked all day Friday to complete the project.

Coffman said the float -- complete with a witch and flying monkey behind bars -- fit in perfectly with this year's theme: "Christmas, A Time For Peace."

"We thought with peace on Earth, let's lock the witch up and there won't be too much evil going around anymore," she said.

Owensboro Sanitation also found a way to tote the holiday spirit.

Truck driver Ronnie Ferguson linked 10 trash toters together with hinged two-by-fours to create a "Time 4 Peace" train.

The trash cans, wrapped with twinkling lights like a Christmas tree, are really a favorite for kids, he said.

"We love kids," he said. Children are fascinated by the trash collection process, he said.

Santa Claus was the last to make his way down Frederica Street, collecting letters with gift wishes on his way.

Bruner said every letter collected will receive a personal response from the big guy himself.

Despite damage to some of the floats as they maneuvered around cars left in no-parking zones, Bruner said the parade was a success.

"It went very smooth, I was very pleased," he said.

The Owensboro-Daviess County Christmas Parade winners:

Commercial Category

-- First place -- U.S. Bank Home Mortgage

-- Second place -- Home Realty

-- Third Place -- Maurice Pools and Spa

Government and Municipality Category

-- First place -- Owensboro Street Department

-- Second place -- Owensboro Sanitation

-- Third place -- Daviess County Detention Center

School and School Organization

-- First place -- Majesty Academy

-- Second place -- Owensboro Community & Technical College

-- Third place -- Apollo High School, Habitat for Humanity chapter

Clubs and Organizations

-- First place -- Girl Scouts 27

-- Second place -- The Alma Randolph Charitable Foundation

-- Third place -- Ensore Masonic Lodge 729 and Goel Chapter 104

-- Fourth place -- Cub Scouts 611

Churches and Church Organizations

-- First place -- Settle Memorial United Methodist Church

-- Second place -- First Free World Baptist Church

-- Third place -- Yelvington Baptist Church

Most Effective Use of Lighting

-- First place -- Majesty Academy

-- Second place -- Owensboro Sanitation

-- Third place -- U.S. Bank Home Mortgage

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By Beth Wilberding

Messenger-Inquirer

Marianne Smith Edge spent several years during the 1980s as one of the organizers for the Owensboro Daviess-County Christmas Parade.

"I was always lining up floats, so I've never been on a float," Edge said.

Edge will get a new perspective of the event during the 71st annual Christmas parade Saturday -- she and Martha Clark are the grand marshals. Edge said she believes they will be riding in a carriage.

The women are the co-founders of Owensboro's Impact 100 chapter, an organization that has raised $358,000 in two years to go to three area charities.

"We definitely see this as a representation of all the Impact members," Edge said. "I appreciate the fact that they recognized the impact women can make in this community."

Clark said they are honored and humbled to represent Impact 100.

There are two criteria for being chosen grand marshal for the parade, parade Chairman Kevin Bruner said.

Grand marshals must have made a positive impact on Owensboro and have put Owensboro on the map in a positive light.

"They've certainly done both of those," Bruner said.

This year's parade is themed "Christmas, A Time For Peace." Floats are judged on how well they project the year's theme.

Judges will be at a secret location during the parade to judge the floats, Bruner said. Judging criteria are listed on the parade's Web site.

About 110 units, which include floats, marching bands, the Shriners, car clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and politicians, will participate this year.

Most of the floats are made by school groups, churches, companies and scout groups, Bruner said.

"The thing I like about it is all the smiles generated on the kids' faces," Bruner said of the parade.

Bruner has been working with the parade for about 10 years. The people who organize the parade raise money through donations and entry fees only, and the money goes right back into the event, he said.

The parade starts at Ninth and Frederica streets and goes north to Third Street. The route takes Third Street to Daviess Street, then west on to Second Street. The parade ends at Walnut Street.

Bruner said he thinks Second Street is the best viewing spot for the parade. The crowds are smaller, and there is a non-smoking section.

Sorgho fifth-grader Will Sims is the official starter for the parade. The starter blows a gold-plated whistle to kick off the event.

He was chosen by his school because of his school and community involvement, Bruner said.