By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER

Washington Daily News

 

The Christmas season officially arrived Saturday morning as the first marchers made their way along Main Street during the traditional Washington Christmas parade.

The event, one of the longest-running yuletide traditions in Beaufort County, is sponsored each year by the Washington Kiwanis Club and the City of Washington, in conjunction with the Washington/Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Harbor District Alliance.

Making their way along Main and Market streets were entries sponsored by local businesses, churches and community organizations. Also included in the line-up were Santa Claus, Scout troops, dance students, representatives of Beaufort County Community College and members of the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office, led by newly-sworn in Sheriff Ernie Coleman. An estimated 75 entries signed up for this year’s parade.

Nonprofit groups are invited to participate free of charge and businesses pay a small entry fee, according to Kiwanis president Stuart O’Neal. That money goes right back into the community.

“What we’re really about is providing educational opportunities for children, so our main focus is scholarships,” O’Neal said shortly before the parade began. “All of our fundraising goes to providing scholarships.”

That includes a scholarship awarded through each high school in the county, according to past president James Johnston. The club also supports the Terrific Kids and Builder’s Club programs in local schools, he added.

Planning for the Christmas parade began in September, according to O’Neal. Fifteen club members were given the task of planning the event, with Gil Davis and Bobby Roberson serving as co-chairmen.

Following the parade, downtown Washington’s Christmas celebration continued throughout the day with The Blind Center’s Kris Kringle Craft Show, photos sessions with Santa, a book sale at Beaufort-Hyde-Martin Regional Library, a homes tour and a holiday concert hosted by the Turnage Theater.

* For more photos from the Washington parade, see Pamlico Life in the Dec. 14 issue of the Daily News.