The Downtown Jamestown Development Corporation will present The Resource Center's and TRC Foundation's "A Tradition of Caring at Christmas" parade and holiday celebration this Friday at 6:30 p.m. The parade will begin at Monroe Street, and travel east on Third Street to Tracy Plaza. The traditional tree-lighting ceremony will be held at the beginning of the parade prior to the singing of the national anthem by this year's grand marshal, Yara Olmo, 2012 Miss Teen New York Petite. The Jamestown Cycle Shop Snowball Drop and fireworks show will be held following Santa's arrival.
Downtown restaurants will be open prior to the parade for dinner. Razz & Friends will be providing a free, live pre-parade concert for paradegoers at Tracy Plaza at 5:45 p.m.
STREET CLOSINGS
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Street closings will be closed from 3-5 p.m. Third Street between Prendergast Avenue and Jefferson Street will close at 3 p.m. Third Street between Jefferson Street and Hallock Street will be closed at 5 p.m. All intersecting side streets between Prendergast Avenue and Hallock Street will close at 3 p.m. and will only be open to residents. Motorists are asked to enter and exit the city via Second and Fourth streets. The Jamestown Police Department and DJDC ask that no vehicles park along the parade route and staging area, Third Street between Hallock Street and Prendergast Avenue, after 5 p.m. Parade lineup will start up at 5 p.m. All parade entrants must enter the lineup traveling east on Third Street at Hallock Street. No entries may enter traveling west. Please contact Capt. Barry Swanson of the Jamestown Police Department at 483-7711, or Ashley Anderson of DJDC at 664-2477 for more information.
All participants with motor vehicles or trucks should have their driver remain with the vehicle at all times. All parade entries will receive a number at lineup and this number must be displayed on the right and left front window of their entry to aid in announcer identification, along with a banner or sign. Parade participants without vehicles or floats should be dropped off at the Lincoln Elementary School parking lot or at the end of intersecting streets between Porter Avenue and Hallock Street.
Following the parade, entrants can disperse via Prendergast Avenue or to the Jamestown High School parking lot.
Any changes required due to weather conditions will be announced on the local radio stations. For more information finding where an entrant is to line up, parade officials will be staged at the corner of Third Street and Monroe Avenue, Porter Avenue and Third Street and Third Street and Hallock Street. For more information, call the DJDC at 664-2477 prior to 3 p.m. on Friday. Parade officials will be wearing yellow vests for easier identification.
The DJDC, along with the Jamestown Police Department and Jamestown Fire Department, highly encourage those attending the parade consider the cold temperatures and to dress accordingly, especially younger children. The parade will last approximately two hours. Spectators are also requested to respect the location of barricades. Due to the increasing size of parade displays, barricades are strategically placed for the safety of spectators. The main stage located on Third Street will be the parade headquarters.
All participants wishing to distribute candy must walk along their display and hand candy out. Throwing of candy or other items from parade displays is prohibited due to the increased parade display sizes.
Spectators are encouraged to use the city ramps for convenient parking opportunities the evening of the parade. Ramps are located on West Fourth Street and the corner of North Main Street and West Second Street. Additional parking is located around Baker Park.
2012 PARADE LINEUP
DIVISION 1 - Porter Avenue (Porter Avenue and Front Street)
Lineup Location: Units must park on the east side of Porter Avenue and the north side of Front Street. Positions will be marked.
Division Captain: Bob Frucella
Lineup: AMVETS Memorial Post 726; Vietnam Veterans Chapter 865 & Veterans of Modern Warfare Chapter 20; Blue Star Mothers; Grand Marshal Yara Olmo,; Abe Lincoln and local politicians; Toys for Tots; Ed Shults Ford Lincoln Hyundai and Hospice of Chautauqua County; Media One Group; WCA Hospital; New York State Police; Jamestown High School Red Raider Marching Band; Jamestown Composite Squadron, Knights of Columbus, Santa Claus, Alstar Ambulance
DIVISION 2 - West Third Street (north and south sides)
Location: Units must fill in as they arrive on both the north and south sides of West Third Street between Porter Avenue and Hallock Street. Positions will not be marked. Units will lineup in the order they arrive.
Division Captains: Jim Domagola, Erin Domagola, Sue Jones, Greg Jones
Lineup: Affinity One Federal Credit Union; American Red Cross for Southern New York; Aspire of Western New York; Associated Healthcare; Boy Scouts of America Troop 137 Bemus Point; Casella Waste Services; CC Ring Cub Scout Pack 135; Chautauqua Lake Twin Tier Antique & Classic Boat Society; Chautauqua County Cancer Services Program; Chautauqua County Humane Society; Chautauqua County Roller Derby; Chautauqua Lake Region Antique Car Club of America; Chautauqua Pools; Chautauqua Striders; Chocolat Salon & Day Spa; Christmas Horses; Community Bank & CASA; Cub Scout Pack 115 Jamestown; Dependable Tow & Recovery; Der Kobblers; Eastside YMCA Middle School Academy; Elements Salon & Spa; Emmanuel Baptist Church; Falconer Women of the Moose Chapter 134; First Lutheran Church; Geer-Dunn Co.; Gerald Sayre; Gold Wing Road Riders Association; H&R Properties LLC/Karma Salon and Tattoo; Harley Davidson of Jamestown Inc.; Hector's Power Sports; Hollyloft Ski and Bike; IBEW Local 106; Jamestown Area Community Federal Credit Union; Jamestown BPU; Jamestown Business College; Jamestown Community Chamber of Commerce; Jamestown Community College; Jamestown Cycle Shop; Jamestown Ice and Storage; Jamestown Macadam Inc.; Jamestown YMCA Jets Swim Team; JJ Jingles the Clown; Kharram Grotto; Kidder Memorial Methodist Church; KIX Country 96.5 and 100.3; Love in the Name of Christ (LOVE INC); Northwest Savings Bank; Ostrom Enterprises Inc.; Pepsi Beverage Company; R. Patti Concrete & Excavating; Signature Seal Coating; Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union; Southwestern High School athletics; St. James Italian Heritage Dance Group; Starbucks; The Learning Disabilities Association of WNY; The Lights of Broadway; TJ's Plumbing & Heating; U.S. Postal Service; Verdant Home Energy; Zeus & Mojo.
DIVISION 3 - Third Street Bridge
Location: Fire trucks must fill in as they arrive on both the north and south sides of the Third Street bridge. Positions will not be marked. Units will line up in the order they arrive and be filtered into the parade.
Division Captains: Lynn Smith, Tiffani Conti, Leslie Hoisington
Lineup: Busti Fire Department; Celoron Hose Company #1; Cherry Creek Fire Department; Falconer Fire Department; Gerry Volunteer Fire Department; Jamestown Fire Department; Jamestown Police Department; Kennedy Volunteer Fire Department; Kiantone Fire Department; Lakewood Volunteer Fire Company; Maple Springs Volunteer Fire Department; McDonald's; Randolph High School football team; and Sinclairville Volunteer Fire Company.
There will be 13 trophies distributed this year. Categories include Best All-Around, Most Creative, Best Small Business, Best Large Business, Best Large Industry, Most Festive, Most Family-Oriented, Best Animal, Best Theme-Related, Most Community Involvement, Best Fire Department, Best Color Guard, and Most Youth Involvement.
Trophies are sponsored in part by Casella Waste Services, Chautauqua Lake Twin Tier Antique & Classic Boat Society, Chautauqua Lake Region Antique Car Club of America, Dependable Tow & Recovery, Der Kobblers, Geer-Dunn Co., Harley Davidson of Jamestown Inc., Hollyloft Ski & Bike, Jamestown Ice & Storage, Pepsi Beverage Company, R. Patti Concrete & Excavating, and Signature Seal Coating.
Time Warner Cable and YNN will be broadcasting the parade on YNN Channel 8. Those who are unable to visit downtown Jamestown and enjoy the parade firsthand are can view the parade on Time Warner Cable Channel 19 on replay the following week after the parade. Replay times and dates will be announced following the parade.
The Resource Center is now collecting new, unwrapped toys for their annual Toys for Tots toy drive. Toys for Tots barrels are located throughout Jamestown and the surrounding community. Contact The Resource Center for drop-off locations, registration dates and times and pickup dates and times.
The Jamestown Area YMCAs will host its annual Santa's Family Workshop on Friday from 7-9:30 p.m. at their downtown Jamestown facility following the downtown holiday parade.
All community members and their families are invited to attend this premier event.
Santa Claus will make his appearance in the downtown holiday parade and then will be available for children visits at the Jamestown YMCA.
Rudolph, a real reindeer, will also be present during the YMCA evening event.
Families and children will be able to visit with Santa and participate in holiday ornament-making, crafts, cookie frost, face painting, holiday tattoos, karaoke, movies, and the Christmas tree lighting.
The cost is only $1 per person with children 2 and under free.
Refreshments, including pizza, drinks, and cookies, will be available for purchase. This holiday event will take the place of the regularly scheduled family swim that evening.
For more information about the event, please call the Jamestown YMCA at 664-2802, or visit www.jamestownymca.org.
The Jamestown Community Chamber of Commerce will be collecting items for the "Stuff the Buses" drive for Superstorm Sandy victims during the parade. Please bring donation items to the parade and hand them to the volunteers as they go through the parade. Donations will be delivered Saturday to those still in need of assistance. For more information on donating items contact Marty Idzik at 483-3903. Visit discoverjamestown.com for a complete calendar of events taking place throughout December.