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"Candy Land" Comes to Asheville with 55th Annual Holiday Parade on November 17.

There certainly will be visions of sugarplums, candy canes and other holiday sweets dancing in our heads when the 55th annual Holiday Parade hits the streets in Asheville on Saturday, November 17. "Candy Land" is the theme of the parade this year, which will begin at 3PM in downtown Asheville. The parade, sponsored by the Asheville Merchants Association, remains a decades-old attraction that brings young and old to the city streets, and heralds the "official" beginning of the holiday season in Asheville.

"This year, downtown Asheville will be transformed into a colorful, magical Candy Land," said Karen Tessier, chair of the Parade Committee. "We invite kids of all ages in and around Asheville to come and enjoy this much-loved annual event."

Nearly 100 entries and thousands of participants will parade down Patton Avenue, beginning at Anderson Nissan-Mercury and ending at South Charlotte Street. This year, the judging and television filming area will be on Pack Square. Edited footage of the parade will be broadcast on Thanksgiving morning on Channel 13 WLOS.

This year's parade will feature:

  • Two giant helium balloons: "Skating Santa," sponsored by AB Tech and "Theo the Toy Soldier," sponsored by the Grove Park Inn.
  • The Snow Queen and her court.
  • Sixteen-foot tall stiltwalkers.
  • The ever-popular dancing reindeer.
  • Several area marching bands.
  • Homemade and professionally made floats.
  • Marching groups of all ages.
  • The Asheville Board of REALTORS will be collecting coats for their annual coat drive as their float moves along the parade route.
  • Music filling the streets prior to the parade. In addition to the parade, other holiday activities will be going on in downtown Asheville, among them being:

  • The Junior League of Asheville will hold its fifth annual Holiday Market fundraiser to benefit the League's community projects. The market, featuring more than 40 merchants selling a unique array of quality gifts, will be held in the Renaissance Hotel ballroom from 10 AM to 7 PM.
  • The 19th annual Light Up Your Holidays Premiere Celebration begins at 5:30 PM in City-County Plaza. In addition to lighting up the Plaza with holiday lights, the event will feature live music and theater, as well as a grand fireworks finale.

    For more information about the 2001 Asheville Merchants Holiday Parade, call Tara Scholtz at (828) 251-4147.



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