The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Dec. 2, brings with it the official start of the Christmas season in Ardmore, as it does every year, with the annual Toys for Tots Southern Oklahoma Children’s Christmas Parade tree-lighting ceremony.
This year’s event will start with a concert at 5:40 p.m. by Chris Brubeck’s Triple Play. The Brubeck trio performs a combination of jazz, blues, folk, funk, pop and classical musical styles. The concert will kick off the annual tree lighting that is the symbol that Christmas has begun in Ardmore.
At approximately 6 p.m., the ceremony will begin on the bandstand in Central Park, where hundreds of citizens gather each year to watch the grand marshals of the Toys for Tots Southern Oklahoma Children’s Christmas Parade throw the switch to light the community tree in the northeast corner of Central Park. But first, Ardmore Mayor Sheryl Ellis will read a proclamation that declares that night the official opening of the Christmas season in the community. There will also be carols sung, along with more holiday entertainment provided by America Wistine, an Ardmore area student who performs at community events.
After the tree is lit, the third annual Ardmore Main Street Parade of Lights will begin. This is the lighted, nighttime Christmas parade that starts at Central Park and proceeds down Main Street with its combination of motorcycle and car groups, along with other entries and floats marking the Christmas season.
There will be refreshments for sale at the park, and more holiday activities will be available at various downtown businesses during and after the parade.
Main Street Wine Depot, Paws 4 Fun, Studio 107, Ray’s Hallmark, Main Street Coffee, Splatters Paintball, Rough Creek Interiors, Kiva Galleries, Simple Curiosities, Tol’s Jewelry, Casa Romo and several other downtown merchants will be open late Tuesday night for shoppers.
There will also be a window-display competition going on downtown and the public is invited to stroll downtown and check out the festivities.
The Toys for Tots Southern Oklahoma Children’s Christmas Parade will roll down Ardmore’s Main Street at 11 a.m. on Dec. 6 this year, led by its three grand marshals, Gary Scott, Danny Hull and Cole Tidwell.
This is the 31st year for the annual parade. Organizers are still in the midst of preparations for the annual event, which historically features more than 100 entries per year.
The theme for the 2008 parade is “A Frosty Christmas,” and each entry is designated to be decorated according to the theme. This year’s parade co-chairs are Tony Tupin and Tanda Duncan, both co-workers at Michelin North America, a company that annually participates in the float-building contest.
Several years ago, the annual parade teamed with the local Toys for Tots organization, which helps collect toys to give to needy families for the holidays. The entry fee for the parade has always been a toy, which, combined with the others, were given to children in the Community Children’s Shelter’s Prevention Program. Teaming with Toys for Tots allows the parade to expand its efforts to children in all of southern Oklahoma.
