Ball Ground Celebrates Christmas With 2nd Annual Toys For Tots Parade

The second annual March of the Toys Parade for Toys for Tots will not only entertain Ball Ground and Cherokee County residents, but also provide away to help less fortunate children.

The parade will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5 in Ball Ground. Attendees to the parade are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots campaign. Collection boxes for the toys will be available at Ball Ground City Park and at the Zeeman building.

The toys will be distributed to less fortunate children throughout Cherokee County.

The parade will feature Diana Goodman, who appeared on the television series Hee Haw for a number of years. There will also be several special guests participating in Goodman’s honor, including Emory Samples, son of Junior Samples of Hee Haw fame and a couple of Elvis impersonators.

Other parade entries include the Christian Fine Arts of Forsyth Marching Band, Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders, Twilight Twirlers of Marietta, beauty queens, floats, tractors and antique cars.

Several cosplayers, people who portray a fictional character by dressing in costume, are also participating in the parade. Some of the entrees include Superheroes like the Iron Man, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Batgirl, Captain America, Superman, Spiderman, Power Rangers and many others.

There will also be a host of princesses such as Cinderella, Snow White, The Frozen Queen, Rapunzel and many more. Plus, there will be characters from the Atlanta Pirate and Wenches Guild. After the parade, the cosplayers will gather at City Park so children can have their photos taken with their favorite fictional character.

Parade organizer Tim Cavender said the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile and Miss Georgia USA have also signed on to make an appearance.

This is also the time when Santa and Mrs. Claus will make their official arrival to town. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be located on the stage at City Park for photos, which will be free for residents.

The parade was so popular last year that traffic was backed up from Ball Ground to both the southbound and northbound exits of I-575, Cavender added.

“I do encourage attendees of the parade to get to the event a little early,” he added.

The event will also feature a large model train display. The Atlantic Coast S Gaugers Club will have a large modular train layout in the Zeeman Building located in the heart of downtown Ball Ground. The 16-by-39 foot layout will feature four trains running at one time.

There will also be a vendor area so attendees can do a little Christmas shopping and food vendors to take care of your appetite. Santa’s Candy Shop will also be open and features homemade sweets and candies.

The Ball Ground Historical Society will be selling its new calendars and 2014 Christmas ornaments. Additionally, the Ball Ground Business and Community Association will be selling tickets to its Tour of Homes, which will be held the following day.

“This is an awesome event that the whole family can enjoy,” added Cavender.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Photo credit: Tim Cavender