(PADUCAH, KY) –Saturday, December 6 will be a day to spend downtown enjoying family-friendly activities.
Candy Cane Hunt: The Park Services Department’s annual Candy Cane Hunt will be held December 6 on the Carson Center lawn located at 100 Kentucky Avenue. Registration begins at noon with the hunt at 1 p.m. Children ages 12 and under will race to find as many candy canes as they can. The children will be divided into two age groups as they race to collect the more than 1000 candy canes. Prizes will be awarded, and goodie bags will be given out while supplies last. The event is free.
Ugly Christmas Sweater Fun Run: The Parks Services Department with the assistance of Rehab Associates is adding a new event that will occur right before the annual Christmas Parade. Line the sidewalks along Broadway to watch folks run by wearing the ugliest Christmas sweater they can find or be one of the runners getting all of the attention. The Ugly Christmas Sweater Fun Run will begin at 14
th and Broadway at 4:30 p.m. on December 6. Runners will run approximately a mile to the finish line at Broadway and 2
nd Street. Registration begins at 3 p.m. in front of the Police Department at 1400 Broadway. The registration form also is available on-line at
www.paducahky.gov. The first 150 people registered will receive a winter sock hat. The entry fee is $15; however, provide a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots with your registration form and receive $5 off the entry fee.
Christmas Parade: With less than two weeks to prepare, organizations are working to get the final touches on their floats for the annual City of Paducah Christmas Parade that will be held Saturday, December 6 in downtown Paducah. The parade begins at 5 p.m. at 14
th and Broadway and travels down Broadway until it turns at 2
nd Street and disbands at Madison Street. The theme for the 2014 Christmas Parade is “Christmastime at the Movies” with music and lighting required on each of the parade’s more than 100 entries. Santa Claus will make a special appearance at the end of the parade on the official Santa float and will be available for photos after the parade at the downtown gazebo.
This year the City is proud to honor Paducah Power System retiree Erich Vierkant as Christmas Parade Grand Marshal. Each year starting in October he volunteers his time to get the Christmas in the Park light display installed at Noble Park. The lights for the 18
th annual display will be turned on at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 28. Mayor Gayle Kaler recognized Vierkant at the November 18 City Commission meeting and thanked him for his dedication to the Christmas in the Park display. During Christmas in the Park, community volunteers collect donations of money and nonperishable food items for local agencies. To date, nearly $500,000 has been collected in addition to more than 605,000 pounds of food.
Parade entries will marshal on Broadway between 13
th and Fountain Avenue, on Fountain Avenue between Broadway and Monroe, and on Jefferson between 13
th and Fountain Avenue. Streets will be closed in the staging area beginning at 3 p.m. on December 6. Streets along the parade route will close at 4 p.m. in preparation for the parade and the Ugly Christmas Sweater Fun Run. The Parks Services Department also asks the public to refrain from parking in the parade preparation area from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. to help limit the congestion of vehicles and floats.
For more information about Parks Department-related activities, visit the Parks Services Department at 1400 H.C. Mathis Drive, call 270-444-8508, or visit us online at
www.paducahky.gov.
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