Madison-Mayodan Jaycees Christmas Parade is Saturday

The 2008 edition of the Madison-Mayodan Jaycees Christmas Parade is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday. With a route winding all the way from the Main Street Park in Mayodan to the Town Clock on Murphy Street in Madison, timing becomes a critical element for spectators and police officers before, during and after Saturday’s big event.
“Basically, it’s just a matter of planning ahead to be where you want to be between 1 p.m. and about 3:30 p.m. Saturday,” said Madison Police Chief Perry Webster. “The road blocks will sort of roll with the parade as it makes its way from Mayodan to Madison, but people need to be aware that a lot of streets will be blocked off during that time and make arrangements to avoid those areas during that time.”
As usual, McMichael High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC Color Guard will lead the procession as it marches down the hill on Main Street in Mayodan to make the first turn onto Second Avenue. The parade route works its way south from Second Avenue to Highway Street to Decatur Street before turning right onto Franklin Street in Madison. One block later, it turns left onto Murphy Street and ends at the town clock.
Webster said officers will close off the area around the parade’s ending point to prevent a bottleneck.
“We’re going to try to keep the end of the parade from backing up the rest of the procession this year by asking parents picking up children to wait for them along Dalton Street and tie up the end of the route,” Webster said.
This year’s top honor of grand marshal goes to a familiar face around Madison and Mayodan, Dixie Penn. Penn has served as director of the Madison-Mayodan Recreation Department for more than 20 years and has been responsible for bringing dozens of new programs to the center. In addition to the daily operations at the recreation department, Penn also oversees programs such as the annual Swing Night Special, monthly DDA gatherings, and weekly programs such as dance, piano and gymnastics.
“We just wanted to acknowledge all of the wonderful things Dixie has done for our two towns through the years,” said Jaycees spokesperson Crockett Saunders. “She’s given a lot of herself to this community and this is just one small way we can express a public “thank you” to her.”
Penn will hold a place of honor in a parade that also includes a number of public officials, local beauty queens, and even the current Miss North Carolina, Amanda Watson. In addition to the normal professional and homemade floats, the parade consists of several local dance teams, antique cars and special trucks from local businesses, and plenty of horses and riders.
But, as always, the parade would never be the same without the traditional guest of honor – Santa Claus – bringing it all to a close.