Entries sought for annual Chamber holiday parade

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The holiday season is fast approaching and will once again officially be kicked off with a large light parade though downtown Houlton.
    The Christmas parade is a tradition that has gone on for longer than most can remember, but has evolved over time. What was once a mid-afternoon parade has changed to a nighttime holiday light parade, in which entrants are encouraged to come up with interesting, eye-catching floats using generators to power the thousands of lights adorning their entry.
    “People seem to be really excited for the Holiday Light Parade this year,” said Jane Torres, executive director for the chamber.
    Santa Claus will once again be making his way to Houlton to ride in the Holiday Light Parade and to help light the town tree in downtown Houlton. Again this year, Santa’s elves will be busy transforming the downtown area into a special visiting place for Santa to greet the children. Local merchants will also be open for shopping, and have traditionally reported an increase in business during the light parade.
    A new twist this year is that parents will have an opportunity to have their child’s photograph taken with Santa on the front porch of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce.
    The parade will still begin in the Houlton Shopping Plaza on the North Road at 6 p.m. (lineup at 5:30 p.m.) and continue down North Road to Market Square on November 24. A tree lighting ceremony will take place at the town Christmas Tree in Market Square. After the tree is lit by Santa, the parade will continue up Main Street to the Chamber building, where an area will be set up for local children to meet with Santa and have a photo taken. Hot cocoa and cookies will be available.
    The remaining floats will continue to the Gentle Memorial Building parking lot.
    The popular yuletide event typically draws a large crowd to Houlton’s downtown business district. For the past few years, an estimated 3,000 individuals lined the streets to watch the parade.
    The following rules apply to those who wish to enter floats:
    • Commercial entries will be limited to one car or truck, which must be significantly decorated with lights. Vehicles towing floats are excluded from this limitation.
    • Oversized (not street legal) vehicles must have an adult walking by each wheel.
    • Walking participants may hand out items to spectators, but throwing items such as candy into the street or crowd is expressly prohibited.
    There is no cost to register a float, which will be judged and prizes awarded to the top entries. Registration forms to participate in the parade must be received by the Chamber no later than Wednesday, Nov. 21. Forms may be dropped off at the chamber office at 109 Main St. or by e-mailing chamber@greaterhoulton.com. Forms can also be filled out online by visiting http://houltonchamber.com.
    For more information, call the chamber at 532-4961.