Oakland’s Down Home Christmas Activities And Grand Marshal Announced
Audrey Ross will be the grand marshal of the Oakland Christmas parade. She recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
The Oakland Area Chamber of Commerce and the Oakland Parade Committee are excited to announce the 2023 Down Home Christmas agenda on Saturday, Dec. 9 with Christmas activities including the annual Christmas parade and the lighting of the Oakland Christmas tree.
Parade Committee Chairwoman Sharonda Jones announces that Audrey Ross will serve as Grand Marshal of the 3 p.m. Christmas parade. “Mrs. Audrey Ross recently celebrated her 100th birthday and we believe that she is officially the person in town who has known Santa Claus the longest. Ms. Audrey worked at the bank here until a few months short of her 90th birthday. Everyone knows her and looks up to her. She is the perfect Grand Marshal,” Ms. Jones said.
This year’s Down Home Christmas pays homage to the Town’s 61-year-old Christmas Tree with a Christmas T-Shirt featuring the tree. People are encouraged to wear the 2023 t-shirt to all events that day.
Down Home Christmas will kick off with a community brunch featuring updates from the Chamber and elected officials followed by a ribbon-cutting at the new Oakland Pickleball Court at 11 a.m. and the introduction of the town’s newest business, Down Home Sweets.
The afternoon features the parade at 3 p.m., followed by visits with Santa for the children, and the Christmas Tree Lighting at 4:30 p.m. on the grounds of the Oakland Public Library. A Christmas concert follows at the Chamber Office, formerly the Oakland Presbyterian Church.
Event t-shirts are being pre-ordered now and will close at noon on Nov. 22. To order a t-shirt, contact LaTonya Richardson Sayles at (662) 417-6760. Please text or leave a voicemail. You can pay by cash, check, or by CashApp at $22OACC, or Venmo @Linda-Aldy. Adult T-shirts are $15 for short sleeve and $18 for long-sleeve and 2XL or 3XL short sleeve. Youth sizes are only available in short-sleeve and are $12. There will be some shirts available on Dec. 9, but sizes will be limited.
Additional activities may be announced in the Herald or on Facebook at Oakland Area Chamber of Commerce. For additional info on any of the activities or events or to volunteer, contact the Oakland Area Chamber of Commerce at oaklandchamber@gmail.com or text or leave a voice message at 601-853-3942.
