(MURFREESBORO) At 2:00 o'clock sharp on Sunday afternoon (12/11/2022) the Murfreesboro Christmas Parade merrily rolled down historic East Main Street and around the town square. The theme was "Christmas Through The Years". Scroll down for more photos of the 2022 Christmas Parade this past Sunday and for a look back at the pictures of the parade in 2021!
Best Float (Business or Industry
Bullseye Gun and Range (130 Shelby Street; Murfreesboro)
Best Walking Group
Dance Academy
Best Float (Civic, Scoug, Social)
Stones River National Battlefield (3501 Old Nashville Highway)
Best Vehicle Entry
Larry Parker
Best Church or School Entry
Bradley Creek Missionary Baptist Church
Mayor's Cup
North Boulevard Church of Christ
Pictures Below (Click to see Lot's of Photos - And check back, a lot more to come!)
Below Video Clip from the RCSO:
Take a look back into the 2021 Christmas
Parade by clicking the Below Photos:
Record Turnout - Assistant Director of Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department and Parade Coordinator Rachel Singer noted, "The lack of rain or snow and temps in the mid 50s added to the record turnout along the route. Plus, a large number of entries helped to attract even more spectators."
Over 160 floats, marching bands, and of course Santa in his sleigh helped to make the season bright.
After coordinating the local parade for over 35-years, WGNS Good Neighbor Radio has passed the baton to Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation.
Grand Marshals - WGNS' Lee Ann Walker remembers, "In 1984 the Chamber of Commerce told WGNS that if the radio station didn't take over the parade, the community might possibly not have the family event. We agreed to try it on a short-term basis, and that lasted for over 35-years."
In fact, Lee Ann and her husband Bart operate the family owned local radio station that celebrated its 75th anniversary this year. The couple are the Grand Marshals in this year's parade.
Lee Ann said, "I loved working with the many talented people in the Heart of Tennessee to create this annual event that has brought so many people together. Those 35-plus years flew quickly, and I will miss working with all of the wonderful people associated with this community event."
She particularly thanked the late Fayne Haynes who created an early special Santa float and provided the candy for the early years of the parade and more recently ATMOS Energy, along with the Stones River Amateur Radio Club for handling entry coordination and communications to all parts of this massive event, and also the Murfreesboro Noon Exchange Club helped with the check-in and line-ups of the parade in past years.
She also said that Murfreesboro Police have kept all intersections safe along the parade route, the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office's horse patrol for riding along with the Santa float and Middle Tennessee State University for graciously opening their campus to allow space for the parade line-up over the years.
Walker noted, "It has always been a community event that has been spearheaded by involved volunteers."
In addition to the public being able to line East Main Street and enjoy the parade, they can also tune to Murfreesboro City TV 3 and watch it "live" or during some of the "repeats" on the cable and streaming government television service.
MORE FUN - See More Below
Drive-Through Christmas Light Display - Load up the car and enjoy a festive way to add to those cozy holiday memories. Cannonsburgh Village will come to life with a Christmas light display the first three weekends of December, starting this Friday evening.
Murfreesboro Parks and Rec. Assistant Director Rachel Singer told WGNS the drive-thru light display first started in the heat of the COVID outbreak… Singer said families appreciate changes in the annual display… The FREE drive-thru light display is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights between 5PM and 8PM (December 2nd through December 18).
More Details:
Cannonsburgh Village
312 S. Front Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
Display Open:
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
December 2nd – 19th
Times to Visit: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
CLICK HERE and share memories of earlier Murfreesboro Christmas Parades. Tell us about those times and why the parade was special to you. What is the first parade that you remember. Why does that Murfreesboro parade stand out in your heart?
