Michele Skalicky talked with the Downtown Springfield Association communication manager Hailey Magnus about events happening Saturday, December 14.
Skalicky: "Hailey, what can we expect from tomorrow's Springfield Christmas Parade?"
Magness: It's going to be an amazing day. So much festive fun going on. We'll be opening up early with a market on Park Central Square with all kinds of fun holiday shopping, some great food and really good sweet treats on there. So come, you know, spot out where you want to watch the parade from and then shop around there. Then the parade starts at 2 p.m. It'll go up South Street, make its way around Park Central Square, and then head down east and make it all the way to about the Springfield Expo Center. So you've got plenty of space there to catch the parade. All the fun, the bands, the floats, everything you could want out of it."
Skalicky: "Now, there's rain in the forecast. Will the parade go on, rain or shine?
Magness: "The parade is a rain or shine event, but we've gotten some really good news from the local meteorologists that looks like the rain will be done after the morning. So by the time we get to the afternoon, we should be good to go and have a great parade."
Skalicky: "That's great! What about parking? Where should people look for places to park?"
Magness: "We have two great free parking garages downtown that are just a couple blocks away from the square, so those would be great parking places for people to check out. Those will be right behind the Heers building off of Olive Street. Or you can go to the one that is right off of Campbell and McDaniel."
Skalicky: "How many entries do you have in the parade this year, and kind of what mix can people expect to see?"
Magness: "We've got nearly a hundred entries. We've got 98 different groups coming in. We've got, you know, your nonprofits and great groups that are building incredible looking floats. From what we've heard, we'll have fun places like Incredible Pizza that'll be really bringing the party around. But we also have bands, you know, local Springfield bands, but even bands from schools and groups outside of Springfield and, you know, the Kilties, cheerleaders, dance groups, all kinds of things. And of course, we end everything out with the man himself, Santa Claus."
Skalicky: "How important is the parade for downtown businesses? You're part of the Downtown Springfield Association."
Magness: "The parade brings an incredible group of people downtown. And so, you know, downtown is made up of so many small businesses that especially this holiday season, this is their really season to make or break it. And so it's awesome to see people come downtown and really maybe discover something new or an old favorite that they haven't been around, come down, eat lunch, you know, buy a few things, that last minute Christmas shopping and every little bit of the money you spend downtown while you're at the parade, really, it goes right back into your own community. The people who own these businesses are our friends, our neighbors there in Springfield. They're paying Springfield taxes. They are coming right back to serve our community. So when you come downtown for this parade and you spend any money while you're here, you're truly just supporting our local businesses and our local economy."
Skalicky: "Well, Haley, thank you so much for talking to me about the parade. It sounds like a fun day."
Magness: "Absolutely. Thank you."
