NORCO – Dust off your poodle skirts or your bell-bottoms and get ready to have a totally awesome Christmas. The Norco Civic Association’s annual Christmas Parade will take a look back through time when it rolls with the theme, “Norco Noel: Norco Through the Years” on Sunday, Dec. 1.

More than 70 entries have signed up for the 17th rolling of the parade, including floats, trucks, Jeeps, antique cars and a bevy of pageant queens from throughout the area.  Marching bands and their ensembles from Destrehan High School, East St. John High School and Riverside Academy will entertain the crowds, along with several other area bands and dancing troupes.

The 2019 Little League World Series Champion team from Louisiana has been invited to participate, as well as the World Series runner-up Softball team.

For the second year in a row the St. Charles Parish Animal Shelter will be bringing some of its adoptable pets to ride along. Several pets found homes last year as a result of their Christmas Parade appearance. The ARC of St. Charles also will have its bead cart at the end of the parade so parade-goers may throw back their unwanted beads. The organization separates and re-sells beads to other parade participants to help raise funds.

The parade begins at 2 p.m. at River Road and Apple Street, travels east to Good Hope Street, travels north to Sixth Street, turns south on Apple Street and disbands at River Road. Just before the start of the parade, Santa will arrive on the Mississippi River levee via helicopter. After the parade, Santa will be available for free photos with children at the Community Christmas tree on Apple Street, next to the former Capital One Bank building. The Norco Civic Association recently purchased the property, which will undergo an extensive makeover soon.

This family-friendly event was a River Parishes staple that began in the 1950s and ran through the early 1980s before being discontinued. A group of local citizens, including Norco native Stephen Weber, helped revive the parade in 2001. Except for two weather-related cancellations, it has rolled every year since, and serves to usher in the Christmas Season for the River Parishes and the surrounding New Orleans area.

All participants are strongly encouraged to follow the theme of the parade or the overall Christmas theme in their decorations, costumes and music. Anyone interested in participating in the parade may visit the Norco Civic Association Christmas Parade Facebook page to download and print an entry form. The deadline to enter is Nov. 22 and the entry fee is $50 per entry, except for school bands.

For more information call Stephen Weber at 504-202-5565, email Stephenweber61@yahoo.com, visit the Facebook page or our new web site norconoel.org.

Article submitted by Lori Lyons, Publicity Chairman of the Norco Christmas Parade.