Parade, decorating competitions promote ‘good things in the city’

It’s no surprise to Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce director Marty Green that everybody loves a parade. That’s why the annual yuletide extravaganza along Cherokee Avenue is a community highlight.

“It’s just another one of those things — Americana — just good stuff that we do to try to promote good things in the city,” he said.

“We’re lookin’ forward to it. It’s always good times.”

But Green wants more for Sallisaw.

That’s why something new has been added this year Green is hoping will become a Sallisaw tradition along with the nighttime parade and the storefront decorating contests.

Deck the Lawn makes its debut as a residential decorating competition designed to encourage participation throughout the community as well as promote a driving tour to view the exterior creations.

“This was an idea that was pitched to us last year on Deck the Lawn,” Green says. “It’s one of the things we’re doing to try to increase pride around town and hopefully people will want to drive around and look at the lights.

“Deck the Lawn is new, and we’ve had quite a bit of interest already. We’ve had people already make entries. We’re excited about it. I think it could really grow into something.”

Green says the chamber encourages residents and business owners to decorate the front of their store or their lawn “like the city does with their awning.” He also pointed to decorating efforts at the police department as an example.

Cash prizes will be awarded for both the storefront and Deck the Lawn competitions, with prizes for the residential competitions to be presented for each of the four city commissioner wards.

But those wanting to participate in the parade or the decorating competitions must submit an entry form to the chamber — by Dec. 8 for the parade and Dec. 9 for the storefront and home-decorating contests. “Right now we’re taking entries for the storefront decorating and the Deck the Lawn and, of course, the parade — the three big things,” Green said.

Parade information

The parade is set to step off at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 10, with line up beginning at 5:30 p.m. The parade route is from Main Street along Cherokee Avenue (U.S. 64) to “the old Journey Church” at Dogwood Street.

“It’s a pretty long parade march — over a mile,” Green said. “There’ll be thousands of people lined up to watch that parade. Everybody loves the lights.”

Green says there were 50 or 60 entries for last year’s parade, but encourages participation by marching bands from area high schools.

“We would love to have other bands from other towns, other schools to come in. We’d love to have more bands march in the parade.”

He would also like to see an even broader representation from the community.

“Every organization, club, church, whatever ought to have an entry,” Green challenges. “We’d love any group to have an entry. It doesn’t cost anything, and we give out prize money. We think every business ought to have a parade entry. It’s just free advertising [for the business].

“All the rural fire departments usually come in, quite a few churches, some civic groups. We’d love to have more school clubs, schools.”

Categories for the parade are business, non-profit and churches, schools and school organizations and a category added two years ago but which has “not really taken off” — farm and ranch.

“We try to promote the farm and ranch category,” Green said. “We’d love to have some of these farmers or farm families come in and do some things.”

The theme for this year’s parade is “Hard Candy Christmas.”

“We make [the theme] really vague like that on purpose. We try to make it where anything will fit,” Green said.

The chamber director said some of this year’s entries are dressing participants in boxes to look like candy to match the parade’s theme, while others are using bowls or discs attached to their bodies “to make them look like suckers.”

Green said there are two important guidelines for parade entries.

“The main thing on the parade is that the chamber will provide the only Santa Claus, and he’s at the end (on a fire engine). Of course people can wear Santa hats, but the only Santa will ride the firetruck at the end,” he said.

“The other big thing is you’re not supposed to throw candy, because we don’t want a kid to get run over. We want them to have walkers to pass out their candy.”

The parade will be judged by members of the Leadership Sallisaw class. Winners for the parade will be notified on Dec. 13.

Storefront, lawn information Creativity, eye appeal, usage of lights and uniqueness of the theme — “thinking outside the box” — are ingredients for success when it comes to the storefront and Deck the Lawn contests, Green said.

“We use our Leadership classes to judge not only the parade, but these contests as well,” Green said. Judging will occur 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 12, so entrants should leave their Christmas lights on.

“The judges use scoresheets, and then they bring the scoresheets back to us and we tabulate them,” Green said of the process. Winners are announced at the chamber’s membership meeting and luncheon on Dec. 14 at First United Methodist Church.

“We’re hoping it grows. Hopefully people will respond to it,” Green says of the Deck the Lawn decorating competition.

Call the chamber at 918-7752558.