Cleveland Christmas Parade continues to keep “hometown feel”
Published 12:10 am Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Tractors were also a popular entry into the Cleveland Christmas Parade.
Boogerwoods Haunted Attraction won the humorous category with their costumed dancers and guitar-playing deer.
The Rowan Animal Clinic won the commercial category on Saturday.
The West Rowan High School marching band participated while decked out in holiday season-themed gear.
Horses and horse-drawn carriages are still allowed entry to the Cleveland parade and plenty were involved on Saturday.
Santa Claus brought up the rear of the Cleveland Christmas Parade riding a Cleveland Fire Department truck.
CLEVELAND — The candy-catching umbrellas were out in numbers on Saturday as families lined Main Street for the Cleveland Christmas Parade.
The parade, sponsored and run by the Cleveland Lions Club, was the 51st annual Christmas parade for the town. The parade was founded by the local Boy Scouts in 1972, and the Lions Club took over the next year and has been running it since.
“The parade has always had a hometown feel, showcased local folks and activities and today’s parade was no different,” wrote Cleveland Christmas Parade Chairperson Elizabeth Steele in an email.
The parade began at 2 p.m. at the ForceTEC training facility and Defender Sports complex, also known as the former West Rowan YMCA. Police Chief Jon Jessup led the parade west down Main Street, followed by other entrants such as the West Rowan JROTC, the West Rowan High School band, multiple church groups and fire departments.
The parade also includes a contest, judged this year by Lions District Governor Mike Edwards, Deb Gusler and Casey Wise, who were joined on the review stand by Little Lion Theodore the Shih Tzu and parade announcer Terry Moore. The winners this year were:
- Antique: “Lady in Red” 1961 Chevrolet Impala driven by Charles and Elizabeth
- Commercial: Rowan Animal Clinic
- Horse: Kodacop, an eight-year-old Tennessee Horse owned by the Abe and Crummett families
- King or Queen: CC Watkins, West Rowan High School Homecoming Queen
- Regular: West Rowan Ukulele Club
- Religious: Third Creek Presbyterian Church
- Humorous: Boogerwoods Haunted Attraction
“Thanks to all the entries and spectators for another wonderful parade and supporting the Cleveland Lions Club. A special thank you to our judges who are selected from the spectators as it gives the community an opportunity to be involved,” wrote Steele.
