‘May your days be merry and bright’
Santa and Mrs. Claus wave to the crowd lining Main Street in Clinton Saturday night during the Clinton Christmas Parade (photo:Ken Leinart )
If the sweetest moments of the season are the times we share, then there will be no sweeter moments this Christmas than the ones that happened during this year’s Clinton Christmas Parade. Since being together wasn’t possible last year it appeared that this community longed for togetherness again this past Saturday, December 7th - not taking for granted what being together actually means. Thank you to all who came to enjoy a parade that was so obviously missed.
Thank you first and foremost to City Manager Roger Houck. The City of Clinton uses 65 employees, from Police to Fire to the Parks and Recreation Department to make the parade come to life along with 10 Sheriffs from Anderson County. Thank you to everyone who made the joy happen safely!
Thank you to the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce. Their staff has worked for years to organize and prepare this day and they made me a student in the learning process this year. It would not have been possible without Rick Meredith, Janet Hawkins, Jackie Patton, Marsha Stapleton and Jared Forgety.
Twenty volunteers from Jaycee Park to the Community Center worked alongside our team to make sure everything from lining up to tearing down and everything in between was as festive and fun as possible. Thank you Jon Holland, Kristen Otto, Sara Knight, Jessica Conatser, Kathy Stair, Samantha Bates, Scott Page, Lisa Steffensen, Jason Walter, Sid Brewer, Teresa Grayson, Pam Walker, Joe Walker, Shelly Vandergriff, Lilly Vandergriff, Josh Patton, Larry Llanusa, Scott Lane, Ann Gann, and Larry Gann.
Thank you to our amazing commentators Joey Smith and Deena Seals and to our Grand Marshall Jim Sanderson and to the Clinton City Schools’ Teachers of the Year for carrying the Historic Downtown Clinton banner and to the Knoxville Moms for judging.
Each participant brought joy to the streets of Clinton and laughter to family and friends who gathered to celebrate Christmas and for that Historic Downtown Clinton is so very thankful.
The parade winners were:
1st place - Milestone Church ($250)
2nd place - Black Oak Baptist Church ($175)
3rd place - Lowe’s Tows ($100)
The theme for this parade was “Dreaming of a White Christmas” and while a white Christmas may or may not be possible this year, we hope that you will dream with us about all that Clinton is and all that it can be to so many. And as the song goes, “may your days be merry and bright” this Christmas season.
Katherine Birkbeck
Program Director
Historic Downtown Clinton