CARTERSVILLE, GA-NOVEMBER 16, 2017, 2016-Santa Claus is coming to town and will be here very soon. On December 7th, Santa and Mrs. Claus will kick off the Christmas season in Cartersville, Georgia during the annual Cartersville Exchange Club Christmas Parade. The Exchange Club, a longtime local civic club, organizes the Christmas Parade. Members of the Club have been busy for several months planning the event that will start at 6:00 PM from the parking lot of Tabernacle Baptist Church and wind its way through the streets of downtown Cartersville.
The parade is one of, if not, the largest parade of its kind in Northwest Georgia with an average of over 100 floats each year. The parade is led off by members of the Exchange Club called the “Bucket Brigade”. These members ask spectators to donate a $1.00 or whatever change they have to help raise funds from the parade donated to local charities benefiting children. Following closely behind the Bucket Brigade will be Santa and Mrs. Claus wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and reminding everyone to be good because Santa is watching.
The parade is a free event for anyone to enjoy and a wonderful community tradition. Spectators can watch the parade anywhere along the parade route with the exception of the railroad tracks. Members of the Exchange Club want to remind spectators to keep children back from the street and also remind participants that throwing candy or any items from floats or cars is strictly prohibited in accordance with the City of Cartersville ordinance. The members make these requests in order to keep everyone safe during the parade.
The route is the same as in years past; turning right onto Church Street from the Tabernacle Baptist Church parking lot, continuing on Church Street, taking a left onto Bartow Street, turning left onto Main Street, left onto Stonewall Street, left onto Church Street, right onto Tennessee Street, left on Howard Street, returning to the Tabernacle Baptist parking lot.
Those interested in participating will find applications, rules, and additional information by visiting the Exchange Club website www.CartersvilleExchange.com or by calling 770.382.8570.
The Cartersville Bartow County Exchange Club’s mission is to create public awareness of the seriousness of child abuse, what can be done to prevent it in order to make our community a better place to live. The Exchange Club meets every Thursday at noon and welcomes visitors interested in joining or learning more about the Exchange Club.