Shawano Santa Parade 12/3/10 6:00 pm

From the Shawano Leader.

Holiday fun starts Friday with Santa Parade
By Kent Tempus, Leader editor

Downtown ushers in the Christmas season with the annual Holiday Stroll and Santa Parade on Friday.

Amanda Hannes, chair of events and promotions committee for the Business Improvement District, said she appreciate the atmosphere of the Stroll.

“It’s the family aspect, kids getting to see Santa, and helping make their Christmas dreams come true,” Hannes said.

The sidewalk down S. Main Street has been jammed with people in the first 15 years of the event. This year should be no exception.

Hannes said there are 47 entries for the parade, not including the color guard and Santa and Mrs. Claus, who traditionally bring up the end of the parade.

Three Shawano Com-munity High School ensembles will be performing while riding in wagons, and Shawano Community Middle School band members will also be playing.

“It should be a good parade,” Hannes said.

The event draw thousands of people to Shawano’s central business district. Many downtown merchants decorate their stores and serve refreshments for visitors. Some even bring in musicians to play Christmas songs.

The Holiday Stroll is important to downtown businesses, said Kathy Hansen, a member of the BID Board.

‘It just bring people downtown,” Hansen said. “There’s a lot of faces going in an and out of the stores to see what a nice downtown we have.”

The Stroll has continued to grow over the years.

“I think it’s turned into something wonderfully fabulous,” Hansen said. “The traffic is much heavier.”

Before and after parade, which starts at 6 p.m., visitors can stop at First Presbyterian Church for a Nativity Walk. This is the second year of this activity.