Christmas parade, festival set for Dec. 9

The Pike County Christmas Festival and Parade will be held Sunday, Dec. 9 with festivities starting at noon and the parade starting at 3 p.m. on the courthouse square.The festival will include free inflatables for children, a cooking decorating booth, a balloon animal artist and live music. ’We are excited about the event and have a lot of exciting things happening this year. We are at capacity with our festival and will have about 70 vendors again this year,’ said organizer Ginny Blakeney. ‘Our parade lineup is receiving a lot of new interest and we are getting new participants which means the parade continues to grow as well. We will have lots of great food vendors and the festival starts at noon so join us for lunch. We will also have many unique vendors so be sure to shop local for your holiday gifts!’ The live entertainment will begin at 1:30 p.m. and include sets by the Pike County Junior Players, Riley Atha, Gracie, the Pike County Elementary School chorus and others. Those who are interested in signing up for the parade can email PikeCountyParade@gmail.com until noon on Friday, Dec. 7. The parade will begin at the corner of Old Meansville Road and Highway 19 north and travel to the courthouse, around the square at Jackson Street and end at Flash Foods on Highway 19 south.