Norman Christmas Parade returns to Main Street
Dec. 3—The time is drawing near for Norman to greet Saint Nick as he makes an early appearance on Main Street before Christmas.
Due to the pandemic, last season's Norman Christmas Parade was a drive-by affair with a stationary Santa Claus at Andrews Park.
This year, the Downtown Norman Christmas Parade returns to its original format, and organizers are encouraging Normanites to bring their favorite holiday memories — whether a beloved piece of clothing or belonging, or something out of the box — for a "Miracle on Main Street."
At 6 p.m. Dec. 4, the route will commence on Main Street and Pickard Avenue, heading eastward and ending at James Garner Avenue in front of the railroad tracks.
Stefanie Brickman, organizer for the parade's all-volunteer committee, said each year's parade is led by a parade marshal, a position that highlights recently-retired pillars of the Norman community. This year's marshal will be Sherri Coale, the former University of Oklahoma hall-of-fame women's basketball coach who led 19 teams to the NCAA tournament.
Coale said she is honored to be this year's marshal, and looks forward to seeing the Norman community on Main Street.
"This is an extraordinary community, and things like this Christmas Parade are the threads that bind the community together, so to be a part of that in this way is a great honor, and I'm humbled by it," Coale said. "I think it will be a fun time for families, children, and it's always a great way to usher in the holiday spirit."
Brickman said the parade turned into an evening event, which makes for a pretty scene with the Main Street lights and decorated vehicles.
Attendees can expect to get plenty of candy tossed their way, be greeted by familiar community faces in the parade and see a line-up of classic cars owned by the Canadian River Cruisers.
David Saunders, president of the Canadian River Cruisers, said there is collective excitement building from the group for the parade's return to the Main Street route.
"We have restored pickups from the 40s and 50s, 1955 and 1956 Thunderbirds, 1957 Chevrolets, mostly classic U.S. car oriented, because we're an older club in terms of membership, even some model A's," Saunders said.
With owners of around 20 vintage cars and trucks expected to participate, Saunders anticipates there is something in the line-up for everyone to enjoy.
"It's fun to watch everyone's reaction to your car, and the enjoyment we get is seeing the crowd and kids having a good time," Saunders said.
The grand finale of the parade will be an appearance from Santa Claus himself, who took time to usher in some Christmas cheer for Norman. Brickman said Santa wants to see how everyone chooses to display their favorite holiday memories.
"We will see how creative everyone can be," Brickman said.
Brickman pointed to the turnout for last year's reverse parade as an example of the community's love for the annual event.
"It's obviously a Norman holiday favorite, and last year shows how eager and zealous our Norman audience is for the parade," Brickman said.
Jeff Elkins covers business, living and community stories for The Transcript. Reach him at jelkins@normantranscript.com or at @JeffElkins12 on Twitter.
