Rep. Dianne White Delisi, R-Temple, will be the parade marshal. Ms. Delisi announced her intention earlier this year to retire from the Texas House of Representatives.
Anna Foster, special events coordinator with the city of Temple, said the city wanted to honor Ms. Delisi for her service to the area.
“We decided to name her marshal in recognition of her many years of service as representative,” she said. “We thought it would be a nice year to recognize her.”
The parade route will be the same as last year’s, and will begin at North 8th Street then continue to North 23rd Street, Ms. Foster said.
More than 100 entries are expected to participate, including floats, decorated vehicles, bands, marching groups and classic cars. The grand finale for the parade will be Santa Claus, riding in the Temple Fire and Rescue Department’s 1939 Diamond T fire truck.
A color guard from Fort Hood and other representatives will participate in the parade.
Immediately before the parade, Temple Mayor Bill Jones III and Rep. Delisi will light the City’s Christmas Tree and other holiday decorations on the west side of the Municipal Building.
The theme of this year’s parade is “Dreams of Christmas” and more than 30 floats are expected.
The first-place finisher will receive the Mayor’s Award and $650. Second place will receive the City Manager Award and $500; third place, the City Council Award and $300; fourth place, the Park Board Award and $200; fifth place, $100; and sixth through 10th place will receive $50 each. All of the award winners will receive plaques recognizing their achievement. This is an increase in prize money from $450 in the past several years to $2,000 total.
