Marion progress., 1948-11-25
Marion's Christmas Shopping Season
To Be Opened With Parade Monday
SANTA CLAUS COMING TO TOWN MONDAY NOVEMBER 20
FOR MARION MERCHANTS BIG CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

Marion will formally open its
Christmas shopping season Monday,
November 29.
That is the date set for Santa
Claus to make a personal appearance
and highlight the Christmas parade
sponsored by the Marion Merchants
Association. The old fellow has been
honored recently at similar celebra-
tions in Morganton, Asheville, Char
lotte, Spindale, Forest City and other
western North Carolina towns and
cities.
But Marion has made plans to be
sure that the celebration held here
will be one of the most festive, en-
joyable occasions featured any
where.
Remembering the days w h n
Christmas shoppers had to be told
that many items on their list were
scarce or unavailable, local merch-
ants have gone all out this year to
prove that stocks in Marion will be
adequate to supply the most extra
VACANT, the most thrifty, the most
fastidious or any other type of
Christmas shopper.
Window displays will be previews
Of what the prospective buyer may
expect, and a cash prize of $40 will
be offered for the best window dis
play.
a prize of s25 is also being offered
for the best float in the parade.
In addition to the attractions
previously announced, others who
will participate in the parade are
the Marion Fire Department and
local ambulances. Glenn Laughridge
will have charge Of the Fire Depart
ment and C. R. Mccall and S. J..
Westmoreland will be the ambulance
committee.
Arrangements were completed
yesterday to have a decorated Christ
mas tree on the court house lawn
and a program of music by the
Pleasant Gardens Glee Club.
A feature Of the days celebration
will be turning on the Christmas
street lights for the season.
Beginning at 4:30 p. m. the pa
rade will assemble at the Marion
High School building and proceed
down West Court Street, turning
right at Logan Street then to West
Henderson where the procession will
march east until it enters Main
Street, marching south until it en-
ters Spring Street for one block.
The march will then turn left OH
South Garden Street to circle the
block by way Of State Street and
re-enter South Main Street, prone
nading to the court house and turn
ing right down the court house hill
to North Garden Street: The pa
rade will continue then to New
Street, following New into North
Main Street, marching south to the
stop light at the court house inter
section and down the hill by the
Kirby block to return to the school
house.
Those in charge of arrangements
are:
S. R. Perkins, general chairman
C. B. Dobson, parade chairman; Mrs.
Elwyn Braly and Miss Elizabeth
Whitten, civic organizations; P. ].
Story, Glenn Morris, Joseph L..
Noyes, Carter Hudgins, S. W.
Blanton, J. E. Neal, Jr., R. W.
Twitty, C. F. Smith, David Blanton
and Mrs: Arthur Allen, Judges of
floats.
D. W. Smith, police chairman;
W. G. Watt, lighting; c. A. Cannon,
Christmas tree; Virgil Mckinney,
in charge of candy; D. W. Tainter,
prizes; C. B. Dobson, marshall of
the parade line order; Mayor J. w.
Streetman, Jr., S. R. Perkins Mrs.
Ethel Crisp, and the Board Of Alder
men, assisting in parade order.
The American Legion, headed by
G. Watson Wilson as Commander,
and the Veterans of Foreign Wars,
headed by Francis Nichols, chair
man, will have charge of flag ar
rangements.
Bernard Hirsch, Marion H g h
School band; Wayne Suttle, chair
man of the merchants flag floats,
assisted by Ed Rowe, and j. Roy
Morrow. David Gray, industrial