The Chocowinity Christmas Parade/Expo is bigger than ever
Posted at 6:00 am on Saturday, November 12, 2022
Santa’s elves will be hard at work this week helping all of Chacowinity as the town’s most motivated residents prepare for the annual Christmas Parade and Fair. Joint events are a tradition of the city. According to event organizer Toni Avery, who has been a member of the Women’s Fire Auxiliary for more than 20 years, the parade has been going on for decades and the exhibit has been around for “more than 10 years.”
The combined event will take place on Saturday, November 19, with the parade starting at 10am. The exhibit will be held at the Chacowinity Volunteer Fire Department, in the engine room and outside, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Photos with Santa will be available throughout the event with a break in the parade when Santa will be participating in this year’s marches.
The parade starts at Chacowinity High School and follows the traditional route, including the popular spot in front of the fire station. Parade-goers have been known to arrive hours before the parade begins to get a spot near the road for easy viewing — and a better chance of getting the candy that marchers toss into the crowd, a long-standing tradition for the event. “We have a ton of candy and we’re planning to drop it,” Avery said during an interview Friday.
Portions of NC Highway 33 and US Highway 17 Business will be closed from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — or until the parade ends, according to a news release from the Chacowinity Police Department.
Regarding the exhibit, Avery said money from vendor registrations will be used to continue the tradition of “adopting” a family at Christmas. Recipients are selected by staff at Chacowinity Schools – Southside High School, as well as Chacowinity Elementary and Middle Schools. Although it’s not a rule, Avery said it has become a practice among school staff to select a family that has at least one child in each of the city’s schools. Recipients are selected by counselors who are made aware of these opportunities prior to their selection deadlines, based on the family’s level of need. Based on booth fees and profits from Santa photos, Avery estimated that the teachers who run the program will have about $2,500 to spend on the children whose families are selected this year.
This year’s show will feature everything from woodwork, jewelry, baked goods, wreaths, t-shirts, Scentsy and Tupperware, and a “boutique” featuring clothing and accessories for women and children, as well as church and community events. booths. Avery said there’s a good chance a visit from Nay Nay’s Piece of Heaven Horse Rescue could be a highlight of the show, bringing almost as much happiness as being able to convince mom and dad to spend $5 on a prized holiday photo with Santa.
Early risers and fairgoers will be able to enjoy a pancake and sausage breakfast hosted by the Chakawina Volunteer Fire Department and held at the firehouse. The event, which is part of the fire department’s annual fundraiser and includes a barbecue plate sale the week before the parade, will be held from 7 to 9 a.m. There is no set price for the meal, but donations are encouraged. Money earned from this portion of Saturday’s events will be used to fund the purchase of fire department needs in 2023, ranging from equipment, pagers and radios, upgrades to firefighting equipment and more.
Avery said a few outdoor seats are still available for the Expo event and can be reserved by calling her at 252-945-1102. This year’s indoor spaces have been fully announced since August, months before the final date. Avery said the “full house” has been a lucky occurrence for the fair’s organizers since at least 2017.
The deadline for submitting applications for parade participants (individuals, groups, rides, and others) is Monday, November 14. Applications are available at the Chocowinity Volunteer Fire Department located at 512 NC Highway 33 during business hours; those with questions should call the department at 252-946-6559 and ask for Chief Tommy Pendley.
