BROOKINGS – Spectators looking for Santa in downtown Brookings at 7 p.m. Friday at the annual Festival of Lights parade will find him, but in bit different conveyance.
Santa will be “Rockin’ Through the Decades” in retro fashion, having turned in his sleigh for a T’bird.
Retro could be “anywhere from the ’20s even through the ’90s,” said Ashley Biggar, director of Downtown Brookings.
In addition to the Thunderbird rollin’ with the rockin,’ Santa may also change costumes a few times to get in tune with the retro theme of each decade. As to the tunes, the night’s music will be Christmas classics and holiday cheer.
Parade entrants are encouraged to think retro and dress up their floats to feature their favorite decade, with themed props and stellar tunes.
“We’ve expanded the route this year to allow for more social distancing,” Biggar said of the 25th annual celebration. “We’ll start as we always do, at First Lutheran Church and we’ll come down Main Avenue to Third Street, up Fifth Avenue, across Sixth Street and end up back on Main Avenue.”
A first for this year will be live Facebook coverage from the rooftop at Cubby’s.
“For people who don’t feel comfortable showing up live, they’re welcome to watch it on our Facebook page,” explained Biggar. “Seth Koch, Wooden Legs Brewing Company, will emcee the event for us. The judges will join Seth on the rooftop, and he’ll announce from there.”
The grand marshal for this year’s parade is Bowes Construction.
“We are advising people to stay home if they’re sick and to wear a face mask when they can’t social distance,” Biggar added. “And making sure we wash our hands frequently and are sanitizing. It’s a new normal that we’ve got going on.
“We always encourage people to come down early and find their spot, have a bite to eat, go shop downtown ahead of time. It’s going to be a great time. We’re looking forward to being able to continue this event and do it safely,” Biggar said.
Festival of Trees at the Brookings Arts Council will be going on at the same time and festival goers might want to check out the many decorated trees before heading downtown.
The deadline for parade entries is Dec. 2.
