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By Alex Amos

The LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce Parade is set to take place on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. in Downtown LaGrange.

This year will mark the 47th year of the annual Christmas parade and the theme this year will be “Light Up LaGrange.”

This year nearly 100 community members applied to be part of the parade, topping last year’s number of applicants.

“I think the Christmas parade is really important along with everything that goes into it,” Communications and Events Manager for the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce, Christan Spires, said. “It’s nice for us to come together each year just to celebrate and have something nice to look forward to during the holidays and get the holiday season started.”

Notably, this year, there has been a spike in first-time float entries for the parade with over 20 new organizations joining the event.

The Christmas parade also presents an opportunity for organizations to show off their creativity to the community with new and innovative float designs.

“We have a lot of fun floats this year including a rail car, a walking petting zoo, and even race car floats from Long Cane Middle School,” Spires said.

In addition to the parade, the Christmas tree Lighting event is set to take place in front of the chamber on the plaza for all to see. The lighting will be kicked off by this year’s grand marshals as they conduct the “flipping of the switch.”

The grand marshals this year include New Ventures CEO & President Mike Wilson, students Austin Cheng, Serenity McCullough, Matthew Whatley, Richard Wheatley, Alecia Workman, and Halle Daniel; New Ventures teacher Joe DeGennaro; and para-professional Kathryn Case.

The grand marshals this year are being honored for helping to re-string the city’s holiday-themed lights on Lafayette Parkway.

They are also behind the meaning of the theme, “Light Up LaGrange” because of their hard work and dedication to helping the community.

“Everyone that wants to see the tree lighting is definitely invited,” Spires said.  “Some of our city officials and chamber staff will be there, and our grand marshal will be there to actually do the flipping of the switch.”

Because the Christmas parade is a massive event for the town, everyone planning to attend is encouraged to prepare accordingly in order to get the most out of the event.

“I would recommend getting there a little early and getting set up with your chairs or anything that you’re going to need to be comfy including blankets, coffee, and whatever is going to help you stay cozy because it’s going to be cold, but I want it to be wintery feeling,” Spires said. “Just be prepared to cheer on all of our floats and to listen to April Ross and Alton West as they announce all of our floats as they come downtown.”