Holiday parades happening in Albany, Leesburg on Saturday
Albany’s first-ever Christmas Village opens on the 100 block of Pine Avenue at 3 p.m. on Saturday
By Jada Haynes
ALBANY — Both Albany and Leesburg will see activity on the streets as crowds gather for Christmas parades on Saturday, both with holiday-themed floats and family activities.
The Leesburg event, “Spirit of Christmas Parade & Festival,” will start first. The festival will be from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Starksville Avenue in downtown Leesburg. There will be more than 30 vendors selling food and art, and the festival will also feature a pony ride, train ride and entertainment.
“It’s going to happen rain or shine,” Lesley King Barbosa, director of operations for the Lee County Chamber of Commerce, said.
Registration will begin at 8:15 a.m. for the Spirit of Christmas Pet Parade. All participants must sign a release form, and all dogs must have current or updated vaccinations and be under control and leashed by their owner. The entry fee is $5 or a bag of dog or cat food, which will all be donated to the Lee County Animal Shelter.
The pet parade will take place at 9 a.m. the Starksville Avenue entertainment area. The dogs will be judged based on which is wearing the best and most original costume.
After they have been judged, the pets will be led in a circle around the audience.
“We love to see the (pets) dressed up in their Christmas attire,” King said. “One had pearls around its neck and was dressed in a Christmas dress. It was cute.”
At 10 a.m., the parade route will start at Lee County High School, continue through Main Street and end at the Lee County Courthouse. After the parade, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., people can take pictures with Santa Claus and the Grinch on Starksville Avenue.
In Albany, the Christmas Village will open for the first time on the 100 block of Pine Avenue at 3 p.m. Performers will take to the 200 block of Pine Avenue between 5-5:45 p.m., and at 6 p.m., a family will light the tree along with a group of Marines.
After the lighting, the parade will start with members of the Murphy Dance Troupe. The parade route begins at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Davis Street and ends at the Christmas Village gates on North Washington Street.
Parade Coordinator Lorie Farkas said the parade will feature four bands, beauty queens, participating schools and businesses such as M&M Mars and Procter & Gamble. She added that Wild Adventures will also have a parade float.
“I think a lot of people look forward to seeing their children and grandchildren in the parade and the band,” Farkas said. “We now have parents with their children who were children with their parents 28 years ago. It started out as a local parade, then it grew to a regional parade; it really is a statewide parade now, going all the way down to Valdosta.”
After the parade, Pretoria Fields will have live music, and participants can take photos with Santa and buy food and crafts from vendors.
“It’s a good way to get some of your Christmas shopping out of the way,” Farkas said.
At 8 p.m., the Christmas Village will play the 30-minute “Merry Madagascar” movie.
“We just want to invite everybody to come because that’s what inspires all of us that have been doing this for 28 years to keep doing it,” Farkas said. “We want to see a good turnout.”
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