1000 x 90

The Annual Downtown Boone Christmas Parade Brings Hundreds to King Street in Downtown Boone on Dec. 7

by Madison V. Fisler

Dec. 6, 2013. The winter chill is in the air, the month of December is upon us and we have already received our first dusting of snow of the year. It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, but for many High Country residents, it isn’t Christmas until Santa is spotted on King Street!

Put on each year by the Downtown Boone Development Association, the Boone Christmas Parade takes place on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Experience small town America at its finest with a procession down King Street beginning at 11 a.m., complete with decorated floats, local celebrities, dance troupes, music and more. There is even going to be a special appearance by Santa Claus himself!

The parade will follow a route from Horn in the West, down King Street west to the Poplar Grove Extension. No parking is allowed in the Horn in the West parking lot while the parade is being staged.

The Downtown Boone Development Association would like to remind everyone that no throwing of candy is allowed this year due to the dangers of small children running out into the street. However, candy does not have to be absent from the parade. Marchers are welcome to hand out candy by hand or give out bags of candy to kids on the street.

According to the DBDA, registration will be open for participants until Friday afternoon. Parking will be available on Queen Street and in other lots, and parking monitoring will be suspended during the parade. 

For more information, call the Downtown Boone Development Association at 828-262-4532. 

According to Christine Pope at the Boone Town Hall, last year more than 50 participants and groups were registered to participate in the parade. This year, as of press time, 31 participants are already registered to march in the parade. 

Every year, hundreds of people line the streets to see the long procession head down King Street.  And don’t forget to head over to the Watauga County Public Library on Queen Street for the after party, which will include even more fun for the whole family. After the parade rings in the holiday season in Boone with style, enjoy the Christmas Reception!

Come enjoy homemade cookies, hot chocolate and apple juice, along with craft tables set up just for kids. At 12:30 p.m. Steve Somers will present The Arctic Express, an imaginary train ride looking at winter festivals and holidays around the world. We expect Santa to show up, so be good. Look for the library staff at the parade!

And afterwards, don’t forget about the Christmas Story Walk! The Downtown Boone Development Association and the Watauga County Library are once again partnering to bring a special Christmas Story Walk to Downtown Boone for the Holiday Season. The Downtown Boone Christmas Story Walk began on Nov. 23 and will run through Jan. 2. The story walk starts at the Watauga County Library and participants are encouraged to park at the library or the meters on Queen Street.

The Children’s story book for the walk is “If You Take a Mouse to the Movies” by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond. The Story Walk starts at the Library and moves down Depot Street up to King Street and concludes at Melanie’s on the corner of Depot and King. Visit youth services at the library to pick up your map. 

Come and join in on this fantastic Christmas tradition in the High Country and head out to the Boone Christmas Parade on Saturday with family in tow for a fantastic day to remember. 

Check out our photos from last year’s Parade and be sure to head out with the family on Saturday for an annual tradition you won’t want to miss. 

Photos by Ken Ketchie

FIXE_0429

FIXE_0317

FIXE_0302

FIXE_0286

FIXE_0275

FIXE_0262

FIXE_0476

FIXE_0583