Holiday Parade Goes from Red to Green

Santa Claus is coming to town ...

As he has in years past, in all his glory, with Mrs. Claus in tow. The white-bearded symbol of Christmas will ride down Hatboro's main drag as the finale for the annual on Nov. 20 once again this year.

Officials from the , the entity which organized the parade for 35 of its 51 years, had expressed concerns only a few weeks ago that, because of limited cash, the pre-Thanksgiving spectacle faced drastic cutbacks in the form of a Claus-less display, or fewer marching and string bands.

But, Meredith Baker, the chamber's operations manager, said enough funds have been raised to continue with the parade, in all its grandeur.

"I am happy to report that no marching bands, Santa etc. have been cancelled," Baker wrote in an e-mail to Patch. "We were able to raise over $10,000 to be able to give the community the quality parade it looks forward to each year."

Baker said donations are still trickling in and she expects participation from more than 100 groups this year.

The parade is scheduled for Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.