Annual lighted parade to brighten Friday night

    Washington?s square will be brightly illuminated this Friday night when the town will marvel at the lighted holiday parade. The parade begins at 7 p.m. and is sandwiched between a few other events taking place in Washington Friday night.

    The lighted holiday parade will begin at the high school and travel around the square. Parade entries are asked to register between 5 and 6:30 p.m. so that the master of ceremonies can read a description of the entry as it travels through downtown. Main Street Washington is organizing the parade for the first time after 14 years of stewardship under the Chamber of Commerce. 

    Main Street Washington Director Amy Vetter said the parade fits in with the other holiday-themed activities Main Street has planned for November and December. The activities are known collectively as S.N.O.W., which stands for Showcasing Nights of Washington.

    Vetter said that the parade has always been fun in the past and has typically attracted around 100 entries.

    ?There is always a huge turnout,? said Vetter. ?You will come downtown and have so many kids and families lined up that you don?t need barricades because there are people blocking every single street. It?s a really cool thing to see.?

    Main Street Washington decided last year to prohibit parade entries from throwing candy from vehicles due to safety concerns. Candy may only be distributed by people on foot.

    The day?s activities begin at 5 p.m. with the Jingle Bell 5K walk/run. The run will begin and end outside of Bodywrx on the east side  of the square. Participants are asked to pay an entry fee and bring a canned food item for HACAP. The run is put on by the Washington Track Club.

For the full article, see the Nov. 23 edition of the Washington Evening Journal.