Are We There Yet?

Christmas parades on the march starting today

The Arkansas Capitol lighting ceremony finishes with fireworks after The Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade in Little Rock on Saturday.
The Arkansas Capitol lighting ceremony finishes with fireworks after The Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade in Little Rock on Saturday.

So who doesn't love a parade to get this annual season of good cheer really rolling?

Well, a grinch, maybe. Or a churl. Or a curmudgeon.

But most folks are fans of these early December festivities. And it really doesn't matter if you call them "Christmas parades" or "holiday parades." Either way suits Santa, who stays judiciously neutral in the culture wars.

Parades are set for this weekend in Little Rock and North Little Rock. Elsewhere around the state, there'll be assorted Yuletide parading as well. Here's a sampler, and there's no charge to watch.

• Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade, Little Rock. Miss Arkansas Ashton Campbell will preside as grand marshal when Little Rock's gala gets going at 3 p.m. Saturday. Starting at Second Street and Broadway, it will head south on Broadway, turn west on Capitol Avenue and finish at the state Capitol. Lighting of the official Christmas tree plus fireworks will follow at 6 p.m. Call (501) 376-4781 or visit littlerock.com.

• North Little Rock Christmas Parade. Set for 2 p.m. Sunday, North Little Rock's parade, sponsored by the Sertoma Club, will begin at Pershing and Main streets, head south on Main and wind up in front of the City Services Building. Santa will deliver a jolly ho-ho-ho. Call (501) 758-1424 or visit northlittlerock.org.

• Christmas Parade, Chili Supper and Silent Auction, Fordyce. Adding food to Fordyce's fun today is a 5-7 p.m. Chili Supper and Silent Auction ($5 adults, $3 youngsters). The hearty fare should fuel the crowd for the 7 p.m. parade, which will step off from Beech Grove to the theme "A Redbug Christmas." Call (870) 352-3520 or visit arkansas.com.

• Russellville Christmas Parade. Pitched as "the largest lighted Christmas parade in Arkansas," Russellville's procession rolls at 6:30 p.m. today from the corner of South Arkansas and 10th streets, heading north to Main Street and turning west to end on El Paso Street. Call (479) 968-1272 or visit russellvillechamber.org.

• Jonesboro Christmas Parade. This 67th annual event is taking a patriotic theme: "I'll Be Home for Christmas: A Salute to Our Troops." Several school bands plus themed floats will be in the mix, starting at 7 p.m. today along Main Street in downtown Jonesboro. Call (870) 931-5252 or visit parade.jonesborojaycees.org.

• Christmas Festival, Parade and Fireworks, Mena. Visitors are invited to Mena to "kick off the Christmas season with a bang!" That exclamation mark touts the fireworks to follow a holiday concert at 7 p.m. Friday in Janssen Park. The parade starts at 6 p.m. Call (479) 394-8355 or see visitmena.com.

• Eureka Springs Lighted Christmas Parade. It'll be a busy weekend for Miss Arkansas Ashton Campbell, who's set to be grand marshal in Eureka Springs as well as Little Rock. She'll preside over the parade at 6 p.m. Friday along Spring Street. There's more action at 6 p.m. Saturday, when 30 Christmas trees decorated by local charities get lighted. Call (479) 253-8737 or visit eurekasprings.com.

• Helena Holiday Festival. This Mississippi River community is devoting eight days to its seasonal festivities, which wind up Sunday. The Helena-West Helena Christmas Parade starts at 6 p.m. Friday in the Plaza District and winds up on Sebastian Street. This year's theme is "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." Call (870) 714-2844 or see visithelenaar.com.

Weekend on 12/04/2014

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