Exchange Club Prepares For Annual Christmas Parade

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Fall is in the air and the weather is still pleasant, but in just a month, Santa Claus will be coming to town.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will kick off the Christmas season in as they make an appearance at the annual Cartersville-Bartow County Exchange Club Christmas Parade.

Members of the Club are busy planning the event, which will begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 3 from the parking lot of Tabernacle Baptist Church.

The parade route, which will wind through the streets of downtown Cartersville, remains the same: beginning by turning out of the Tabernacle Baptist parking lot, taking a right onto Church Street bridge, continuing on Church Street until turning left onto Bartow Street, left onto Main Street, left onto Stonewall Street, left onto Church Street, right onto Tennessee Street, left onto Howard Street before making the final turn left onto Douglas Street and returning to the Tabernacle Baptist parking lot.

The parade is the largest in northwest Georgia, garnering over 100 participating floats annually.

It is led by members of the Exchange Club in the Bucket Brigade, who will be collecting donations from the crowd for local charities.

Following closely behind will be Santa and Mrs. Claus, who look forward to the parade each year as they talk with kids -- big and small -- to find out what is on their Christmas wish list.

One change this year is the early deadline of Nov. 20 for parade entries. In order to ensure all entries have their parade registration information in advance of the parade, the Exchange Club is asking all interested in participating to have their application and fee turned in by this date.

There will be an additional $50 fee for any applications turned in after Nov. 20.

The Club also strongly encourages parents and participating organizations to have a drop-off site for participants and float riders at a different location away from the line-up area at Tabernacle Baptist.

“The line-up parking lot at Tabernacle Baptist Church becomes very busy with a lot of vehicles and large trucks,” said Exchange Club President Bruce Ferguson. “Safety is our number one priority and we want to do everything possible to ensure the safety of everyone who participates in the parade.”

All money raised from entry fees and the Bucket Brigade goes directly to four local charities here in Bartow County. Each year, the Exchange Club is able to donate almost $20,000.00 to Advocates for Children, the Boys and Girls Club of Bartow County, Etowah Scholarship Foundation and the Bartow Christmas Coalition.

The Cartersville Bartow County Exchange Club’s mission is to create greater public awareness of the seriousness of Child Abuse and what can be done to prevent it by partnering with like-minded organizations and to make our community a better place to live.

Club members meet each Thursday at noon at Stonewall Manor and visitors interested in joining are welcome to attend meetings.

For more information, including entry applications and information about the logistics of the parade, visit the Exchange Club Website at www.cartersvilleexchange.com.

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Photo: Cartersville-Bartow County Exchange Club