It’s not even December and Christmas is more than a month away, but we all know that holiday festivities traditionally find their way into our world starting in November. Every year, it seems like the store displays are put out earlier and earlier to get us in the holiday spirit.
Well, add the Concord Christmas Parade to the list of holiday happenings before we even sit down to eat turkey. On Saturday, Loudon Road will be the place to catch some Christmassy fun thanks to the 65th annual parade.
Having the parade the weekend before Thanksgiving has been a tradition dating back 40 years, and it is what some may say the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season in Concord.
So now that we’ve got you thinking in the holiday spirit – and you’re about to go out and save your spot along Loudon Road – we figured it’s probably the best time to give you all the parade details, so you know what to expect.
The floats will begin forming in the parking lot of the N.H. Department of Transportation at 8 a.m. for the judges to look them over, and then will depart on Hazen Drive at 9:25 a.m.. The parade route will go east on Loudon Road (which is a left out of Hazen Drive for all of you who are bad with directions) and head about two miles down the road toward the mall.
There will be a number of floats with this year’s theme, Futuristic Christmas, including one that will include the one-and-only Santa Claus.
“We thought it would be something different,” said organizer Dick Patten of the theme. “They can use their imagination and come up with something.”
But the parade is much more than just floats. The marching bands from Concord High and Merrimack Valley High School will play, along with N.H. Pipe and Drums. Decorated vehicles, fire departments, police departments, youth groups, church groups and dance academies will all participate.
There will even be a special guest – none other than Ronald McDonald.
“We have not had Ronald McDonald in the parade since the 1970s,” Patten said.
And for all you kids out there looking to get your letter to Santa out as soon as possible, there will be two special just-for-Santa mail boxes along the route.
If you’d like to be a part of the parade, there’s still time. You can build a float, volunteer along the route or donate to make this the best one yet.
“We’ll take them right up to the day of the parade,” Patten said of the floats. “But they should call us ahead of time so we know.”
Call Patten at 496-2917 or James Cusano at 225-8308 to find out more.
