Grange looking for donations for Concord Christmas parade, tree lighting

Concord Dance Academy participates in the annual Concord Christmas parade on the Heights on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. (ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Monitor staff) ELIZABETH FRANTZ
Concord Dance Academy participates in the annual Concord Christmas parade on the Heights on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. (ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Monitor staff) ELIZABETH FRANTZ

For the Insider

Planning is underway for the 67th annual Concord Christmas Parade, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 9:30 a.m. on the Concord Heights. The parade route is being finalized, but Loudon Road will be the main route. The units will begin forming at 8 a.m. for floats and decorated vehicles. The remainder of the parade units will be there at 8:30 a.m. The formation location is also being finalized.

The Concord Grange will continue to be the major organizer for the parade, with Dick Patten as chairman. To date, the Concord High School Band and Merrimack Valley High School Band have indicated they will be marching before all-state auditions. The theme for this year’s parade will be “My Favorite Christmas/Holiday Movie” with float entries being asked to use this for their entry. The categories are: commercial, nonprofit, youth and animals. Emergency vehicles that are decorated will also be judged in a separate category.

There will be marching units, government dignitaries and the special guest, Santa Claus. Boys and girls are encouraged to bring their letters to Santa. Kevin Tucker will be coordinating the reviewing stand and sound system. Please contact Patten at 496-2917 for information.

The Grange will also be organizing the 33rd Concord Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration on Friday, Nov. 23, by tradition, the day after Thanksgiving with activities at 4 p.m. The Grange has supplied holiday lights for the downtown tree for 45 years, the Heights tree at the corner of Pembroke, Airport, and Loudon roads for 40 years, and a special tree in Eagle Square that is dedicated to the armed forces who can’t be home for the holidays.

There will be a new petting zoo, horse-drawn wagon rides by Bruce Locke of Pittsfield, music and Santa Claus brought to the State House Plaza by the Concord Fire Department. The Grange and Concord Knights of Columbus continue to co-sponsor the Christmas Creche. There will be more information on this event as well.

Both events are dependent on donations to help pay for the activities and the parade. The Grange is a nonprofit organization. Contact Patten at 496-2917 for information on how to donate.

Author: Dick Patten

Share This Post On

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Our Newspaper Family Includes:

Copyright 2024 The Concord Insider - Privacy Policy - Copyright