Greeneville Christmas Parade

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” will be the theme for the 2017 Greeneville Christmas Parade on Sunday, Dec.3, at 2 p.m., according to an announcement made today by the Exchange Club of Greeneville and the Greene County Partnership.
The parade, a project of the Greene County Partnership, is being coordinated by the Partnership and the Exchange Club of Greeneville.
The parade will be staged on Bohannon Street, turning left on North Main Street.  It will then travel through the downtown area on South Main, proceeding to West Main and dispersing on to Carson and West Main streets at the intersection in front of Crescent School.  Parents should make arrangements to pick up children riding floats in the vacant parking lots along West Main or in the staging area on Bohannon after the parade.
Emergency officials have also requested that all personnel driving emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, refrain from sounding their sirens in the parade.  This excludes the law enforcement officials at the front of the parade who use their sirens to clear the streets and notify parade viewers that the parade is on its way.
All participants in the parade must fill out a registration form. After participants have submitted their registration forms, they will be given a permit that they must have with them on the day of the parade to enter the staging area where floats and other entries will be lined up. This includes everyone who plans to participate.  The deadline for submitting registration forms is Thursday, November 30.
Members of all bands participating in the parade should be dropped off at the Sandwich House on Main Street. All entries in the parade, other than elected officials, should enter the staging area from the 11E Bypass on Burns Street.  Elected officials should approach the staging area from Austin Street.  Non-participating vehicles will not be allowed in the parade area.
All floats will be expected to arrive at the staging area on Bohannon Avenue no later than 12:30 the day of the parade. Judging will take place at 1 p.m.  All other entries should arrive no earlier than 1 p.m.  Entry fees for the parade are as follows: commercial float, $50 (any float that provides advertising or name recognition of a business or product); civic or school organization, $15; church float, $15; non-float vehicle entry, $25 per vehicle (includes cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc); equestrian, $25 fee per animal (all horses must be diapered and have Coggins Test results — horses will not be unloaded until results have been checked by a committee member); pageant title holder, $20 (must furnish own vehicle); commercial non-float, $50; church or school group such as marching bands, choral groups, scouts, cheerleaders, free.
Those registering must also claim their intention of competing for prizes if they plan to do so. No free entries in the parade will be eligible for prizes. Those who plan to enter the competitive categories should also be prepared to provide individuals to walk in the parade and carry the banners for first, second and third place winners, should their entries win.
Due to the safety factor, all participants should be aware that candy and other items must not be thrown from floats and vehicles. Those who wish to distribute these items should have individuals walking the sides of the parade route handing the items to onlookers.  In addition, there will only be one Santa Claus in the parade – the Santa on the fire truck at the end of the procession.
Registration forms are available at the Greene County Partnership offices, 115 Academy St.  For more information, call 423-638-4111 or email gcp@greenecop.com.