Philip D. Brown

Richmond County Daily Journal

Most people know it as the Hamlet Christmas Parade, but head organizer Reba Dille is asking all of Richmond County to get involved with the festivities the afternoon of Dec. 10 on Main Street Hamlet.

The 2009 Annual Christmas Parade is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. that day, rain or shine.

“We want to make this year’s parade the biggest and best ever,” Dille said. “This is a huge event for all of Richmond County, and we encourage everybody to come see the parade and participate in it.”

This year’s grand marshals for the parade will be North Carolina Insurance Commissioner and Richmond County native Wayne Goodwin, along with his wife, North Carolina Rep. Melanie Wade-Goodwin.

Also scheduled to be in the parade is Miss North Carolina.

The annual event is sponsored by the Hamlet Rotary Club as a way for local residents to get into the spirit of the holidays.

The deadline for parade entries is Tuesday and the cost is $375 per float entry, $25 per motorized entry and $10 for a walking entry.

There is also a special fee of $200 for a half-float entry, and 20 commercial, pre-decorated floats are available on a first come, first served basis.

Proceeds from the parade are used to support various charities within Richmond County.

All entries are requested to utilize the Christmas Season theme when decorating, and the use of seasonal music is encouraged.

There is only room for one Santa Claus in the parade, however, and organizers are asking that be respected.

Due to safety concerns, no items are allowed to be thrown from the floats during the parade, and candy may only be thrown by walking entries.

Participants are also asked to refrain from removing anyone from floats during the parade, Participants should be picked up at the Hamlet Fairgrounds immediately following the procession.

Also for safety reasons, motorcycles and ATV’s cannot be ridden along the parade route, and any of these vehicles in the parade must be on the bed of a truck or on a trailer.

Horseback riders and horse-drawn vehicles are also out of this year’s parade.

Entry forms may be picked up at any Richmond County BB&T location, the RBC Centura Bank in Hamlet, the McLaurin Center or at Hamlet City Hall.

Mail entry forms to Daniel Wright at 10 N. Bridges St., Hamlet, NC, 28345; or Reba Dille at BB&T P.O. Box 632 Hamlet, NC, 28345.

Entry forms may also be faxed to (910) 582-1700, attention: Daniel Wright.

For more information, contact Dille at (910) 582-0184.

All checks must be made payable to the Hamlet Rotary Club, and a $5 late fee will be assessed on payments made after Dec, 1.

n Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.