GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- This Saturday evening promises to be a fun one for those who attend the Gentex Santa Parade in downtown Grand Rapids.
The Dec. 7 parade begins at Michigan Street and Division Avenue, followed by the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony on Rosa Parks Circle. Riverbank Events & Media C-E-O Russ Hines talked about it on West Michigan's Morning News.
"The parade will begin at 5 p.m. and we will work our way down through to Rosa Parks Circle. Santa will be arriving at Rosa Parks Circle at 6:30, and then he'll exit his sleigh and make his way over to the tree-lighting ceremony at 6:45."
He said they wanted to combine the parade and tree-lighting this year into a single, large community event so everybody can be involved. And he thanked the sponsors, such as Gentex and Meijer.
The parade route is posted on GR-Santa-Parade-com.
The city's special events manager, Evette Pittman, said there is another bonus Saturday evening.
"The City of Grand Rapids is offering free parking at the meters between 5 (p.m.) and 7:30," she said.
The ice rink at Rosa Parks Circle will be open Saturday.
"We're so excited," Pittman said. "We're going to have some of (Patterson Ice Center's) junior skaters out there giving us a beautiful demonstration."
There will be coffee and cookies, music from the Salvation Army Brass Band, and many more activities.
Organizers are seeking more volunteers for the parade. You can click on the "Volunteers" tab on the upper-right side of the website.
Hines mentioned there is another way to view the festivities.
"If for some reason you can't come downtown, WOOD-TV is going to broadcast both ceremonies beginning at 5:30. And they're going to be live until 7 o'clock, so you'll be able to see everything," he said.
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