The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Southside Church has agreed to be the new sponsor of the Annual Lighted Christmas Parade.  Chamber officials received a call on Friday morning from Eric Evans, a pastor at the church, that they have decided they can take over the event starting this year.  A new sponsor was needed when the Jaycees, parade sponsors for many years, announced a few days ago that they were no longer able to coordinate the annual event.

On Friday afternoon, Chamber staff held a meeting with Evans and Pat McLaughlin (long time Jaycees member and Parade Chairman) to discuss the components of the event and ensure a smooth transition.  According to Chamber CEO Laura Terhune, “The Church understands that the coordinating entity needs to have the capability of administering the event (such as invitations, applications and street closures) as well as having access to a body of volunteers to pull it off.”

Terhune continued, “Although we received several calls from interested individuals, an important factor in selecting a new sponsor is continuity.  We were concerned that an enthusiastic person might hand the parade responsibilities back to us in 2 or 3 years—whereas a group or business could more easily have the structure to be invested for many years.”  She noted that those individuals have been encouraged to contact the church to volunteer their assistance.

Eric Evans added, “We feel this fits the mission of our organization very well and enables our members to give back something tangible to all the citizens of Brown County.”  He concluded, “Organizing the Annual Christmas Parade will be Southside’s gift to the community and we are thrilled to have the opportunity.”

In preparation for the transfer of the event, McLaughlin discovered there was a computer error with the online parade application.  He stated, “As a result of this glitch, registrant data has been lost and ALL applicants need to resubmit a new parade application.”

For parade application and general information, beginning Monday, Nov. 23, go to www.southsidebrownwood.org , click on the parade icon and download the needed information, registrations, etc.   Anyone interested in volunteering to help with the parade can contact Southside Church or for additional information, call the church office at 325.646.0844.