Henry county holiday parade prepares to march

The Grinch and Cindy Lu Who are poised to take over downtown Mt. Pleasant in a veritable Christmas Who Coup during Holiday on Main's kickoff parade.

Downtown Mt. Pleasant is hosting a countywide holiday parade this year leading into Holiday on Main, starting at 4 p.m., on Dec. 6.

This parade comes after the Mt. Pleasant and the Iowa Wesleyan Homecoming parades were rained out earlier this year. It also offered an opportunity to add a feature to the annual Holiday on Main event.

Last year's theme for Holiday on Main was Pleasantville, a theme the Chamber Alliance plan on visiting again this year but with a twist.

'We start the parade with the Grinch and Cindy Lu Who - and the parade is to tell a story that the Grinch is coming,” said Kristi Ray, executive vice president of the Mt. Pleasant Chamber Alliance.

Though the event is taking place in Mt. Pleasant, invitations have been extended to all the cities in Henry county.

'One thing we wanted to make sure was that it was countywide,” Ray said. 'We are an area chamber and, especially during the holiday season, we are so appreciative of the people who come from the Wayland area, New London, Winfield. We have invited mayors and city councils from across the four towns and (as of right now) they will be represented in some way.”

As of now the Chamber Alliance is expecting to have roughly 40 entires and for the parade, marshaled by John and Susie Kuhens, to run for about an hour.

'We have put invites out for all the school districts,” Ray said. 'Each of the schools is sending their homecoming court to be in it. We asked for musical entries from the schools and - well - spit valves don't do well in the cold.”

Lacking the time to tune and trouble through the logistics of various instruments in the cold, the Mt. Pleasant High School band will instead have a drum line with other band members wearing Christmas hats and playing kazoos.

The Chamber Alliance is also counting on churches to send in carolers and for individuals to enter into the parade.

'We want every kids group, every church group, anyone who wants to be in it can be in it,” Ray said. 'We don't have any requirements, you don't have to make it elaborate, just come with your family, your church group, or your service club.”