85th ANNUAL LEWES CHRISTMAS PARADE TAKES PLACE ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 AT 5 PM HONORING CAPE HENLOPEN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Tom King, Chairman of the Lewes Christmas Parade, jointly presented by the City of Lewes and the Lewes Chamber of Commerce, has announced that this year’s 85th Annual Christmas Parade will honor the Cape Henlopen School District and its eight public schools. A number of people associated with the school district will serve as the Honorary Grand Marshals and will be representing all the students, teachers, staff and the School Board. They are Superintendent Bob Fulton, School Board President Andy Lewis and three principals from the district’s eight schools: Cape Henlopen High School - Brian Donahue; Richard A. Shields Elementary School - Jennifer Nauman and Sussex Consortium - Vivian Bush. There will be others representing the school district riding in the parade in the Cape May Lewes Ferry Trolley, following the vehicle carrying the Honorary Grand Marshals. Trolley passengers include the School Board members, the principals from the other five CHSD schools, Teachers of the Year from all eight district schools and two students selected from each school. The other schools in the Cape Henlopen School District are Beacon Middle School, H. O. Brittingham Elementary School, Mariner Middle School Milton Elementary School and Rehoboth Elementary School.
The parade takes place on December 3 at 5 p.m. (Rain/Snow Date: Saturday, December 10 at the same time). The suggested theme for the parade is Students and Teachers Enjoying Winter. Organizations and individuals who want to enter the parade in a decorated vehicle or in a marching group should contact the Lewes Chamber of Commerce (645-8073) to receive an entry form or click here to download a form. The deadline for entry is November 18. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Youth Marching Group, Band, Clown, Equestrian, Decorated Classic Car (vintage 1967 or older), Decorated Vehicle (after 1967 or more recent), Fire Company, Commercial Float, Decorated Punkin’ Chunkin’ Vehicle, Community Organization Float and Youth Organization Float. ALL entries need to be decorated. Entrants will be notified in a mailing on November 23 with their entry number and their parade lineup time. The parade line up takes place from 3:30-4:15 p.m. and the parade begins on Savannah Road at Sussex Drive and will end in front of King’s Ice Cream Shop on Second Street. Entrants for Saturday’s parade are asked to commit to the Rain/Snow date on the following Saturday, if it is necessary.
Dennis Forney, publisher of the Cape Gazette, returns as the Parade Announcer and will introduce the entries from the Judges’ Reviewing Stand in Zwaanendael Park to the crowd gathered on Savannah Road. This year’s judges are three retired Cape Henlopen School District teachers. The Mayor and City Council will lead the parade followed by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, riding in an antique farm truck. After the parade, the Christmas tree in Zwaanendael Park will be illuminated followed by candlelight caroling in the park, led by Christy Taylor with sound by Bill Larsen.
The Christmas Parade is the culmination of a number of special events and activities associated with the celebration of the Christmas Weekend in Historic Lewes. The festivities kick off on Thursday, December 1, with two hospitality events: Beebe Auxiliary’s Gift Shop in the hospital is hosting a Hospitality Night from 4-7 p.m. and the Lewes Merchants’ 30th annual Hospitality Night takes place the same night from 5-8 p.m. in the historic commercial district surrounding Second Street, including the Zwaanendael Museum with extended hours. Second Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from 4 - 8 p.m. on Thursday night. Santa will make a brief visit to his Lewes house in front of Citizens Bank that evening in advance of his arrival at the Lewes Christmas Parade on Saturday night. Each child who visits Santa that night will receive a special gift- The Night Before Christmas, an original reproduction of the 1896 book - compliments of The Cottage, a vintage gift boutique, located on Second Street across from Citizens Bank. On Friday, December 2, the Children’s Beach House (CBH) hosts a Winter White Holiday Celebration benefit from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. The benefit is open to the public and tickets can be purchased by calling 302-645-9184 or on line at CBHINC.org. On Saturday, CBH will host an Art Exhibit & Sale in their facility at 1800 Bay Avenue. The Lewes Historical Society’s 43rd Annual Christmas Tour of Lewes takes place on Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also that day, Lewes in Bloom is hosting their 3rd annual Christmas Market at St. Peter’s Church yard from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., selling live Christmas wreaths, bundled fresh greens, floral arrangements and Lewes in Bloom merchandise. Another event Saturday at St. Peter’s Church from 11 a.m-2 p.m. is the ECW Soup Luncheon in the Parish Hall, in conjunction with the Christmas Tour of Lewes. Tour goers are also invited to visit the Zwaanendael Museum to see their holiday decorations and current exhibits. There are numerous other activities throughout the Lewes area associated with the holiday weekend celebrations. For a complete listing, visit the chamber’s website: www.leweschamber.com and click on the calendar tab. The chamber’s visitor center is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and will be open from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 3.