By Pamela Dodson
Staff Reporter

pdodson@thepccourier.com

Santa Claus will be coming to towns around the county as annual Christmas parades get started next week.

COUNTY — As many settle in this week to enjoy the festivities of Thanksgiving with their family and friends, thoughts of the Christmas season are bound to enter everyone’s minds.

With the week wrapping up with Black Friday sales and Small Business Saturday, Americans are beginning to turn their attention to the Christmas spirit.

Municipalities around the county are doing the same, as all are setting the stage for their annual Christmas parades.

The first to hold its event will be Clemson. Tigertown will come alive with the sights and sounds of the holidays on Dec. 1. The parade will begin on College Avenue at 6 p.m. This year’s theme will be “Winter Wonderland.” Visitors are invited to come early, as many pre-parade activities are planned for all to enjoy. In the event of rain, the parade will be moved to Dec. 3. For more information, contact the city’s parks and recreation department at (864) 624-1120 ext. 16002, email parade@cityofclemson.org or visit cityofclemson.org .

Next up will be the city of Easley, which has scheduled its parade for 10 a.m. Dec. 5. The parade will be on Main Street, and the theme is “Christmas: Past, Present, and Future.” The application fee is $25 for each entry, with a deadline of Nov. 27. There is no charge for school-related entries. Application forms are available at easleyevents.com/christmas. For more information, call Dunburks Premier Events at (864) 423-4344. Pre-parade activities are planned as well.

Six Mile is next in the lineup, as it has also scheduled its parade for Dec. 5, with a 10:30 a.m. start time. All entries must have a Christmas theme, and there is no entry fee. The parade route will be on Main Street. Parade organizer Dora Jane Duncan announced this week that Wallace Merck, a Six Mile native and actor who appeared in films such as “Fried Green Tomatoes, “Super Mario Bros.” and “RoboCop 2,” will be the grand marshal for the parade. For more information, contact Duncan at (864) 868-2349.

The annual Central parade is also planned for Dec. 5 and will start at 1:30 p.m. The parade will travel down S.C. Highway 93. There is free registration on the day of the event, beginning at 12:30 p.m. at Mt. Zion Cemetery. Call the Central Fire Department for more information at (864) 639-5608.

Liberty will hold an evening parade, also on Dec. 5, starting at 6 p.m. The parade will be downtown, with the theme “Light my Liberty.” Registration is free, with forms available at libertysc.com. Contact Jamie Burns for more information by calling (864) 843-3177 ext. 6, or by email at jburns@libertysc.com. A tree-lighting ceremony is set to follow the parade.

Pickens will hold its Christmas parade on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. downtown. Applications are available online at historicpickens.com or cityofpickens.com under the community event calendar, at the PRA/Chamber office and at City Hall. Entry is $10 for nonprofit organizations, $20 for individuals or business and commercial entries and free for bands or dignitaries. Deadline for entry is Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 5 p.m.

Norris will have its parade on Dec. 12, starting at 11 a.m. The parade route will be on S.C. 93. This year’s theme is “Old-Fashioned Christmas.” Registration is free. If you want your entry to be judged, the deadline to register is Dec. 9. Contact (864) 639-2033 for more information.

Dacusville will round out the Pickens County parade season on Dec. 12 as well. The event will start at 2 p.m., with a rain make-up date of Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. This year’s theme is “Christmas in the Country.” There is a $15 entry donation for registering in advance and a $20 entry donation on the day of the parade. For more information, contact Randy at (864) 270-1599, David at (864) 855-2920, Betty at (864) 201-5678 or Teresa at (864) 419-6621. The Dacusville tree-lighting ceremony is set for Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Dacusville Community Center.