Fresno Christmas Parade celebrates 90th anniversary

With the conclusion of the month of November and the celebration of thanks coming to a close, the nation shifts its focus onto one of the biggest holidays of the year. Christmas rolls around once again and the City of Fresno prepares for the 90th Annual Downtown Fresno Christmas Parade, Dec. 7. This parade honors the heritage and traditions of Christmas from past decades and celebrates the future of the holiday in Fresno and around the country.

Through the remainder of the month, several other events take place to celebrate this time of year. The campus band, color guard and percussion plan to perform at the Clovis Children’s Electric Christmas Parade, Dec. 7. This comes a week after the campus team’s trip to Hawaii to perform at various locations.

Band director Lesley Bannister prefers to perform in the Clovis Christmas Parade exclusively because the group performed in Downtown Fresno for Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

“In the past we haven’t marched in the Fresno parade,” Bannister said. “We participate in the Fresno Veterans Day Parade, so we like to do the Clovis Christmas Parade in order to cover both parts of our community.”

Many events around Fresno and Clovis are coming up to keep campus students busy through the holiday season.

School and city events in December:

Clovis Festival of Lights, 6-10 p.m., Dec. 1-25 (3116 Indianapolis Ave., Clovis) (www.santaclauslaneclovis.com).

Cindy Lane Christmas lights, 6-10 p.m., Dec. 3-25 (entrance on corner of Alluvial and Cindy in Clovis.)

Feather Christmas Party, 6 p.m., Dec. 6.

Clovis Children’s Electric Christmas Parade, 6:30-9 p.m., Dec. 7, in Old Town Clovis.

90th annual Fresno Christmas Parade in downtown Fresno, Dec. 7, 2-4 p.m. (845 Fulton Street, Fresno).

Zoo Lights, Friday-Sundays, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Dec. 1- 8, plus nightly Dec. 13-23, (Fresno Chaffee Zoo).

Lessons and Carols Choir Concert in Peoples Church Auditorium, 7 p.m., Dec. 9.

Christmas Tree Lane, 6-11 p.m., Dec. 3-25; walking night Dec. 11.

93rd Trek to Nation’s Christmas Tree, Dec. 8, 2:30 p.m. at the base of the General Grant Tree in Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park.

Stuffed animal drive, Dec. 13

Canned food drive ends, Dec. 13.

Journey to Bethlehem: A drive-thru Christmas, Bethany Church (entrance on Maple between Perrin & Shepherd in Fresno), Dec. 17-20, 6-8 p.m.

Riverdale Assembly of God Living Nativity, 6 -9 p.m., Dec. 22.

Christmas Break, Dec. 14- Jan. 7, 2020.

Merry Christmas!

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Kyle Clem can be reached via Twitter @KyleClem5 and via email.