About the Christmas Parade
The annual City of Paducah Christmas Parade is this Saturday, December 6 at 5 p.m. in historic downtown Paducah. The theme is Sounds of Christmas with music and lights on each of the parade's approximately 100 entries. Santa Claus will make a special appearance at the end of the parade riding in a Paducah fire truck.
The parade begins at 14th and Broadway and travels down Broadway to Water Street where it will turn left and disband at Jefferson Street and 2nd Street. Road closures along the parade route will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
This year, the City of Paducah is honoring Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Shea Nickell as the parade's Grand Marshal. Justice Nickell, a graduate of Paducah Tilghman High School, won election to the Supreme Court of Kentucky from the First Appellate District in November 2019. The First Supreme Court District is comprised of the State’s 23 westernmost counties.
Prior to his current service on Kentucky’s Supreme Court, Justice Nickell served for 13 years representing the First Appellate District as a Judge on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Before becoming an appellate judge, Justice Nickell practiced law 22 years serving in various roles including a plaintiff and defense civil trial attorney, an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney (21st Judicial Circuit), an Assistant McCracken County Attorney, and a Public Advocate. He also taught insurance and risk management at Murray State University and jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Justice Nickell is affiliated with numerous professional, historical, and civic organizations, and is a Life Fellow of the Kentucky Bar Foundation. Justice Nickell earned a bachelor's degree from DePauw University in 1981, with a double major in communications and political science. In 1984, he earned his juris doctor degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was elected to serve as President of the Student Bar Association.
Parade entries will marshal on Broadway between 14th and Fountain Avenue, on Fountain Avenue between Kentucky and Monroe, and on Jefferson between 13th and Fountain Avenue. Streets will be closed in the staging area by 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Parks & Recreation Department asks the public to refrain from parking in the parade preparation area and along the parade route to help limit the congestion of vehicles and floats.
Candy Cane Hunt sponsored by Banterra Bank
The Parks & Recreation Department’s award-winning Candy Cane Hunt sponsored by Banterra Bank will be Saturday, December 6, on the National Quilt Museum’s lawn located at 215 Jefferson Street. This is a free event where children ages 10 and under race to find candy canes.
The children will be divided into three age groups and will race at different times to collect more than 5000 candy canes. Registration for the event begins on site at 11:45 a.m. with gift bags provided while supplies last. The hunts will be at 12:30 p.m. for children 3 and under; 12:45 p.m. for children 4 through 6 years of age, and 1 p.m. for children 7 through 10 years of age.
Kids can also participate in a Coloring Contest anytime from noon until 1:15 p.m. The coloring sheets can be turned in at the event. Winners will be announced next week with prizes for the winning entries.
For the safety of the participants, 2nd Street will be closed to vehicular traffic between Jefferson Street and Monroe Street. Please park at the Farmers’ Market parking lot using the entrance at the intersection of 2nd and Monroe.
In 2019, the Kentucky Recreation & Park Society named the Candy Cane Hunt as the Class IV Program of the Year.
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