Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation is wrapping up plans for Saturday’s Christmas parade, and staff will keep an eye on weather developments with rain and breezy conditions in the forecast.
The parade is a “rain or shine event,” but Parks and Recreation Superintendent Toby Hudson said in a press release that officials would make an exception in the event of hazardous conditions.
Weather-related announcements will be made on the Parks and Recreation Facebook page, said Hudson. The Christmas parade last year was delayed two hours because of the threat of inclement weather.
There’s an 80% chance of rain on Saturday with the possibility of thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service forecast. It will be breezy with wind gusts as high as 32 mph in the evening. The daytime high will be in the mid-60s, but the evening low will dip to 35 degrees.
Sponsored by Hopkinsville Electric System/Energy Net, the parade will begin at 5:15 p.m. More than 100 entries, including floats, bands and vehicles, will travel south on Main Street from Glass Avenue to 14th Street.
The parade theme is “Reviving Christmas,” and the grand marshal is Randy Graham, director of Christian County Emergency Management.
Motorists should be aware of several parade-related road closures. They include:
- Glass Avenue from North Drive to Main Street will be blocked from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Only parade participants will be allowed on that section of Glass Avenue from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
- All side streets on Glass Avenue from North Drive to Main Street will be blocked from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- All side streets on Main Streets from Glass Avenue to 14th Street will be blocked from 4 to 7 p.m.
- No parking will be allowed along the Main Street parade route from 4 to 7 p.m.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
