Article published November 27, 2009
Parade will kick off weekend's festivities
It will be best ever, sponsors promise
More than 70 units are lined up for this year's Holiday Parade, including marching bands and the mainstay high-flying helium floats. Santa Claus is due for an appearance as well, and after the parade Kris Kringle Village will be open at the Erie Street Market, featuring children's activities. Carriage rides and other attractions will be available as well.
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THE BLADE
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BLADE STAFF
A Thanksgiving weekend of events steps off at 11 a.m. tomorrow with the annual Holiday Parade downtown.
High-flying helium balloons will glide along, starting from Summit and Jefferson streets. After all, the parade theme this year is "Up, Up, Hurray." SpongeBob SquarePants will be the parade marshal.
Down below, horses, floats, clowns, and marching bands - and Santa Claus, of course - will pass the crowds.
"We have more volunteers than ever volunteered before. We're at 400," said Blade advertising manager Mike Mori. "There's more units in the parade than ever, at over 70."
"For a spectator, it's going to be the best parade we ever had," he said. "Without Steve Taylor and The Blade, we wouldn't be having a parade."
The Blade, Buckeye CableSystem, and Taylor Automotive Group are major sponsors of the parade and of the expanded schedule of events.The parade travels north on Summit to Jackson Street and finishes about 12:30 p.m. on Huron Street. Before the parade, 10 families will have breakfast with Santa at the Imagination Station, a privilege granted them as winners of a contest.
Cable television's SpongeBob SquarePants will be the parade marshal this year.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS/NICKELODEON
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Then, from noon to 5 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday, Kris Kringle Village will be open at the Erie Street Market, featuring children's activities, ice carving demonstrations, and a display by the Imagination Station. Horse-drawn carriage rides will leave from the market. And after the parade, Santa will settle in at Kris Kringle Village, kept company by live reindeer.
Village visitors will view GeeTown, a display of 40 gingerbread houses crafted by culinary arts students at Penta Career Center.
"There's quite a lot going on," Mr. Mori said.
Admission is $5 for anyone 12 and older and $3 for children age 2 to 11. Those under 2 get in free.
The Holiday Parade formerly was planned by CitiFest Inc. For that organization's first parade in 1988, more than 60,000 spectators lined the route, in contrast to about 2,500 who turned out to watch the previous year's parade.
CitiFest disbanded in January, 2008. The Blade was asked to help with some of the events CitiFest previously organized.
The first Holiday Parade presented by The Blade was last year's.
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