With the holiday season officially in full swing, the Town of Bethlehem is ready to mark its holiday tree lighting with its second holiday parade.
Supervisor Jack Cunningham said the tradition began last year, but he hopes it will continue to grow and become a community staple.
It started after one of the guys that works here at Town Hall began talking about antique fire trucks and the holiday parade held by the Selkirk Fire Department, Cunningham said. `Each year at the Four Corners the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce held a weekend event to kind of showcase the shopping in the area.`
Cunningham said the town contacted the Chamber, and the collaboration between them and some area volunteer fire departments resulted in last year’s Holiday Parade. The parade begins at 6 p.m. at Town Hall and goes up Delaware Avenue to the Kenwood Avenue intersection of the Four Corners.
The older vehicles are decorated with lights and other holiday decorations, and local Girl Scouts will be on hand to share some holiday songs.
`We have some of the older vehicles and antique fire trucks, as well as a classic vehicle from the town, will be in the parade,` said Cunningham.
`People from the community and the area businesses also march in the parade.`
The town has worked out some of the logistics after last year’s parade, according to the supervisor, who said the parade would actually go through the Four Corners before the lighting of the holiday tree near the town clock.
`At the end of it all we’re going to light up the tree,` said Cunningham. `The whole thing just brings people out and brings a lot of attention to the Four Corners here in Delmar.`
Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce President Marty DeLaney said the parade is a good chance for the community to come and see what Bethlehem has to offer for the holidays.
`The event evolved over those years with various business people taking charge and putting on events,` Delaney said. `Although the players have changed, there is still plenty of excitement among businesses all along Delaware Avenue and in all of Bethlehem.`
Delaney said this is the ninth year that the Four Corners area has celebrated the holidays on the first weekend in December.
`The message is support your local businesses. These are the businesses that support our community all year long by sponsoring teams, helping with fundraisers and of course paying a huge share of the taxes,` Delaney said.
`Local businesses are the backbone of any community and this year especially they need everyone’s support.`
There will be a Christmas open house following the parade at Delmar Reformed Church, 386 Delaware Ave., with cookies and hot chocolate after the arrival of Santa Claus.
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