By By Adam Prestridge
Santa Claus will not need a GPS system to locate the City of Atmore on Dec. 6.
The Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Twilight Christmas Parade will serve as a guiding light as the Jolly Ole’ Fat Man guides his sleigh for a landing during his annual visit to the city.
The parade, which is sponsored by Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union, will start at 5 p.m. It will begin at Atmore City Hall, proceed down Ridgeley Street, turn on to Main Street and travel south to Lindberg Avenue where it will end at Escambia County High School.
Vickery said as of Tuesday afternoon, 19 entries had been made into the parade including nine floats.
Float participants are encouraged to implement hundreds of lights and let imaginations run wild. Besides floats and bands, several walking groups, featured twirlers, characters, princesses, beauty queens, the Shriners, Little League queens, Escambia County Junior Miss Alaina Arnold, cheerleaders and many more groups will participate in the parade.
To participate in the parade, obtain an entry form from the Chamber office located in the Atmore Lions Community Center and fill it out before Dec. 1. A $25 entry fee will be charged for float entries, which will be eligible for judging. There isn’t a charge for participants such as marching bands, clowns and characters and antique cars.
Rules for float entries includes:
A representative from each organization participating in the parade must attend one mandatory safety meeting prior to the parade. Meeting times are at 5 p.m. on Dec. 2 and 4 in the Atmore Area YMCA’s conference room.
Judging for floats will take place during the parade with first ($300), second ($200) and third place ($100) cash prizes awarded. Judging will be based on creativity/originality, lighting, theme and overall appearance.
Plaques will be awarded for the “I” Award for the most Innovative, Interesting and Inspirational float and the “AHH” Award for the float that best utilizes its lights, color and sound for the for the “ooh” and “ahh” factor.
The length of the parade is usually about an hour long.
An Evening with Santa at Heritage Park, also sponsored by Gulf Winds, will be from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Dec. 4.