The annual Washington C.H. Christmas parade, hosted by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, was a success, according to Chamber president Whitney Gentry.
The morning began with a few activities held in conjunction with Main Street Fayette and Creative Court House. At 11 a.m., children were invited to make some holiday crafts in the basement of the Washington Court House city administration building on Main Street. Kids filled the room and continued to keep volunteers and parents busy for many hours. Santa Claus also made an appearance in the administration building and children took turns telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas this year.
Additionally, until 3 p.m., OT’s Homestead provided free carriage rides around a few city blocks. Volunteers from Main Street Fayette served coffee, hot chocolate and popcorn prior to the parade.
The parade left from Fayette County Memorial Hospital at 3 p.m. and made its way toward downtown. Residents lined the street, watched from homes and populated porches to see about 80 entries travel through town during the parade. Participants included emergency services, churches, local businesses, Scout troops, bands from both schools, charity organizations and much more. The theme for the parade this year was “Christmas Around the World.”
“Everything went great and we couldn’t be happier that so many businesses and organizations joined us for the parade,” Gentry said after the parade Sunday. “We want to thank everyone for coming out to watch. Also we want to encourage residents to remember and shop local. Visit the Chamber of Commerce members and any other local merchants for all of your holiday shopping needs this season.”
Following the parade, Amy LeBeau and her niece, Avery, lit the tree during the courthouse Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. The tree, donated by Jaret Bishop and Custom Landscape Contractors, will be on the courthouse lawn until after Christmas for the community to enjoy. Main Street Fayette chairperson, Mekia Rhoades, said the crowd for the events were large, despite the weather being cold.
“Oh yeah, everything went really well,” Rhoades said following the tree lighting ceremony. “We had horse carriage rides and Santa Claus, plus Creative Court House helped a lot by providing crafts for the kids to enjoy. Main Street passed out 150 gift bags to kids, and when those were out, children received a candy cane and a toy. We want to thank the Chamber of Commerce and Fayette Travel and Tourism for donating to and helping with our events. And as always we thank the community for coming out and supporting us. It is always nice to see a large crowd downtown.”
