The Rotary Clubs of Fayetteville present the 2017 Rotary Christmas Parade Saturday, Dec. 9, from 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

“The parade is dedicated to the children of Fayetteville and Cumberland County with the theme of ‘The angels are watching over us,’” said Matthew Smith, chairman of the Rotary Christmas Parade. “We will have approximately 110 units in the parade.”

Smith added that the parade will be televised by FayTV Channel 7, and the point of pickup for the camera will be at the Market House. There will be commentators at the grandstand area and the Market House.

This is the 18th year of the parade. “There are three clubs that have sponsored the parade: the Fayetteville Club, the West Fayetteville Club and the Lafayette Rotary Club,” said Smith. “This is a joint project that the three clubs do each year.” There will be representatives from Fort Bragg, and the Interact and Rotaract Clubs will participate in the parade.

 

The route begins at Person Street and goes to the Market House, onward to Hay Street, and will conclude at the Medical Arts building.

“We will have various bands from the high schools performing in the parade this year and a number of new entries,” said Smith. “We are having the homemade float contest this year, which we have not had for several years.” Smith said the homemade float contest brings a lot of interest for some groups and is a treat for the people that come to watch the parade as well.

The parade will conclude with Santa Claus and his elves passing out Tootsie Rolls to the kids.

“The Rotarians enjoy doing this every year,” said Smith. “Some people think that all you have to do is get a place for people to line up and have a parade. This is literally a year-round project, and we look forward to doing this as a community service project for the Rotary Club.”

If your business or organization would like to volunteer, contact Mike Reid at (910) 964-3998. For applications, visit www.rotarychristmasparade.com. The parade will take place rain or shine. Email general@rotarychristmasparade.com for more information.