Greater Brockton
Holiday Parade Committee
137 Main Street - Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 612-2688
www.1stdepartmentstoresanta.com
25th Annual Greater Brockton Holiday Parade
Set for November 26th
The History of the Holidays will be celebrated this season with the city’s 25th
Annual Greater
Brockton Holiday Parade. The auspicious anniversary of one of the city’s most
beloved
traditions will be celebrated in customary manner – as a community.
This year’s theme is “Twenty-Five Years of Parade Memories.”
“What has always stood out about Brockton’s Holiday Parade is that it is a
community
celebration – thousands of people pack the streets to see the floats, cheer on
the kids and ring in
the holidays with their friends and neighbors,” said John Merian, owner of
Tuxedos By Merian
and a driving force behind the annual march. “We don’t have professional floats
– we don’t
want them. This is a celebration of what makes us special on the South Shore, of
what makes us
a tight-knit community: people caring about people and wanting to be together in
good
times and bad.”
The Rotary Club of Brockton founded the parade in 1986 as a way to bring more
people
downtown during the holiday rush. Over the years, it has come to signify the
best of what
Brockton and the surroundings towns have to offer: great local bands, wonderful
performers,
Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, parent organizations and the dedication and
creativity of local
citizens who want to make this a happy time of year for all.
“The Holiday Parade is a wonderful Brockton tradition,” said Mayor Linda M.
Balzotti. “I am
excited to be part of this year’s milestone 25th anniversary. The annual parade
is a wonderful
opportunity for residents of all ages to come together and celebrate the holiday
season.”
The parade is known throughout the region for its elaborate floats, for the
troupes of talented
dancers and martial arts performers who march through downtown’s byways, and for
the
acclaimed Brockton High School Band under Director Vincent Macrina, getting the
crowds
pumped up for the season with festive favorites like “Sleigh Bells” leading
Santa down Main
Street. The parade is led by scores of firefighters, police officers and
veterans, as well as by a
team of majestic Clydesdales, who evoke seasons past. The city’s Holiday Tree,
in front of
historic City Hall, is decorated with original ornaments made by Brockton Public
Schools
elementary school students.
The parade’s Grand Marshall is often a local celebrity or
politician – U.S. Senator Scott Brown,
Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, former Red Sox Pitcher Luis Tiant and Lost in Space”
star Mark
Goddard have held the largely ceremonial post in recent memory – and this year
is no different.
The 2011 Grand Marshall will be John “the
Quietman” Ruiz,
the first Latino Heavyweight Champion and former two-time WBA World Heavyweight
champion.
The Methuen native will lead the festive procession from the start at Belmont
Street, down Main Street,
up Legion Parkway and to its conclusion at Centre Street.
This year, the parade will also be led by those who helped launch it.
The Paparo and Drystadt
families will serve as honorary parade marshals for the work done by Rotarians
Ugo Paparo and
the late John Drystadt.
“We wanted to thank the people who made the holidays brighter for everyone all
these many
years,” said Merian. “This year, we’re really turning downtown into a Christmas
pageant - we’ll
kick-off with the third annual Santa Hat
Challenge Day on November 20th, we’re decorating
store windows and shop fronts to look like Christmases past, and on parade day
we’ll have a full
slate of activities from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with food, crafts, a scavenger hunt,
holiday bazaar and
pictures with Santa.”
Supported by a collaboration of the Downtown, Montello and Campello Business
Associations,
HarborOne Credit Union, MetroSouth Chamber of Commerce, Brockton 21st Century
Corporation, the Mayor’s Office, the City Council and the Brockton Public
Schools, the Holiday
Parade is entirely volunteer-driven. The committee is seeking volunteers to help
coordinate
floats and assist with parade management, and is also asking businesses to help
support the
parade through ad sponsorships in the Parade Program Book. For more
information, please call
the Downtown Brockton Association at (508) 587-4322.
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