The city of Bowdon is hosting their annual Bowdon by Candlelight festival on Nov. 5 The festival kicks off the Christmas season with a parade, family activities, shopping, food and Christmas tree lighting.
The festival begins with the second annual Christmas parade, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at Bowdon High School. The high school band and cheerleaders will start the parade while the sports teams and various floats follow. The Red Hat Society, an international social organization for women age 50 or older, will make an appearance as well as the Southwire Truck. Doug Frisbee, a citizen of Bowdon, will dress up as Santa Claus and will ride on a fire truck. Jan Lloyd, the director of Main Street, is in charge of the parade and festival, especially since it is the first year the event is under the Main Street program.
“Main Street is a program that revitalizes downtown events and brings in tourism,” said Lloyd. “They beautify parks and make them more inviting as well as help educate business owners to prepare new businesses and sustain old jobs. They do all of this through promotions, marketing, events and producing new businesses.”
The parade will end at Heritage Park, where the Christmas tree lighting will take place. The Santa Claus imitator will help light the tree and then move to Pin-It Gifts and Events . Professional photographer Allison Robinson is scheduled to take pictures of him with children. Jerry Rogers, a local musician, will also perform music throughout the evening at Heritage Park.
“He’s a one-man band that performs any music people want,” said Lloyd. “He uses a keyboard that makes him sound like a five-piece band.”
Following the tree lighting, everyone is welcome to move to College Street where the stores and restaurants are located. The merchants will serve refreshments and decorate their stores for customers. The business owners will also compete in a window decorating contest in which the winner will receive a $200 advertising package. The Bowdon First Methodist Church is also scheduled to have a bake sale. Other vendors are invited to join RSVP at Bowdon Station to sell Christmas ornaments, decorations and arts. All local restaurants are also involved by extending their hours.
“This kicks off the Christmas season and promotes shopping locally,” said Lloyd. “The vendors get pumped up and put in more inventory for their shops. Overall, it’s a great event for anybody who wants to celebrate the holidays.”
