RIPLEY — The City of Ripley will kick off the holiday season with its annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, with exciting festivities for families to enjoy throughout the city.
The fun begins with the Elf Off the Shelf Race by Main Street Ripley starting at Calvary United Methodist Church at 5:30 p.m. Runners must race to catch the escaped elf and return it to the shelf before Santa arrives.
The first 20 runners to register will receive a free t-shirt and the top three in each running category will receive a nice pair of stockings. The runner who catches the elf will receive $100 Main Street Dollars to spend on Christmas shopping.
After the race, the Ripley Christmas Parade begins at 6 p.m., traveling from Ripley High School to Starcher Mansion. There is no pre-registration for the parade, and everyone is welcome to participate on a first-come, first-served basis.
“It’s going to be a great night and a beautiful parade.” Ripley Mayor Carolyn Rader said. “Everyone will be participating in the parade. You may even see band members joining the parade with Christmas lights wrapped around their instruments.”
After the parade, a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party will be held at Starcher House, home to the Daughters of the American Revolution, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the political protests on December 16th. Those who participate in the reenactment will have a chance to enter the mansion. Continue learning about the Boston Tea Party at various activity stations. The evening concludes with a special appearance by Santa Claus at the mansion in front of all the children in attendance.
“I believe this is the only city that has Santa Claus attending the Boston Tea Party.” Rader said. “He will be in a place of honor, right at the front door of the mansion, and will welcome all in attendance.”
Refreshments such as cookies and hot cocoa provided by Jackson General Hospital, hot cocoa provided by Epworth United Methodist Church, and candy provided by the City of Ripley will also be available at Starcher Mansion.
“Christmas season is a time to be together.” Radar said. “It’s really great to work with Main Street, Jackson General and Epworth to bring this all together for the community.”
Gretchen Dowler can be reached at gdowler@newsandsentinel.com.