ASHLAND, Ky.

Monday, November 20, 2000

ASHLAND, Ky. – Lights will glisten and the streets will bustle in downtown Ashland Tuesday as spectators wait for St. Nick’s first appearance of the year.

Santa’s coming to town during the Ashland Alliance’s annual Ashland Christmas Parade at 7 p.m., almost a week before he visits the Ironton Business Association’s annual Ironton Christmas Parade, which is set for Nov. 27 at 7 p.m.

In Ashland, parade-goers can expect to see a different look during the show of holiday cheer, parade committee chair Tyna Wright said.

"This year, our theme is ‘Old Fashion Country Christmas’ and we’ve asked everyone to decorate everything in the parade this year," Ms. Wright said. "Our parade has became so big and we feel in a lot of ways it has become more commercialized. We want to get it back to what kids enjoy."

The two-hour parade will feature more than 170 entries, ranging from floats to Kentucky and Ohio high school bands.

The parade will start on Carter Avenue at the 17th Street intersection, proceed down to 14th Street before it makes a right. Participants will track along Winchester Avenue and begin dismantling at the 21st Street intersection.

Several other events are slated to unravel before the parade begins, though.

"The parade will kick off the annual lighting of the Winter Wonderland of Lights display in Central Park," Ms. Wright said. "We have several new scenes giving us a total of over 700,000 lights in the park. We will have an ice-carving demonstration at the Judd Plaza beginning at 6 p.m."

Visits with Santa will be held each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m., she said.

Carriage rides around Central Park will be held Thursday through Sunday from 6 to 9:30 p.m., weather permitting.

Youngsters will get a chance to eat breakfast with Santa on Dec. 9, 8:30-10:30 a.m., at the King’s Daughters Medical Center’s Parkview Cafe.

"We do this because we want it to be for the kids," Ms. Wright said. "That’s what Christmas is all about. We are also asking everyone, including those who watch the parade, to bring a can of food or new toy to the parade for donation."

She said barrels will be set up on designated corners along the parade route and all donations will be given to the River City Harvest or Salvation Army.