Paris, Tenn.–The 2022 Edition of the Holly Jolly Electric Christmas Parade is ready to roll this Saturday
evening, December 10. Sponsored by the Downtown Paris Association (DPA), the parade kicks
off at 5 pm, immediately following Santa’s Christmas Festival.
Each year, the parade committee honors individuals and organizations by naming a grand
marshal, a featured school and a DPA Ambassador to be celebrated during the parade.
The 2022 honorees are:
Grand Marshal – Paris-Henry County Bicentennial Committee
Honored School – Dorothy and Noble Harrelson School
DPA Ambassadors – Kathy and Larry Ray
Paris-Henry County Bicentennial Committee
The Paris-Henry County Bicentennial Committee is the parade’s grand marshal. This committee
has created numerous events in celebration of the city and county’s joint bicentennial that
spans three years, 2021-2023, according to committee member, Marsha Banasiewicz. “This
group represents a number of dedicated individuals in the county who are passionate about
sharing its history and celebrating this great milestone,” she said.
Dorothy and Noble Harrelson School
Dorothy and Noble Harrelson School will be the parade’s featured school. Opened in 2004, the
PreK – 8th school, located in Puryear, has 450 students and is supported by 61 faculty and staff
members. It was named for the land donors who were devoted to the community and its
children, according to Principal Lisa Wyatt.
“The Harrelson Hawks are delighted to be joining the festivities this year,” said Wyatt. “I
encourage all Henry Countians to check out our school’s Facebook page for a glimpse of our
collective enthusiasm for educating students.”
“We enjoy using the holidays as a means for learning everything from history to math to
language arts. As the parade’s featured school, we are eager to bring the Harrelson Hawks float,
plus a few surprises, to Downtown Paris and help lead this honored tradition.”
DPA Ambassadors
Kathy and Larry Ray, familiar faces to all who love Downtown Paris, will share the title of DPA
Ambassador. The DPA Ambassador award shines a spotlight on those who have gone above and
beyond for downtown.
As former DPA executive director, Kathy Ray worked on recruitment; fundraising; a long list of
downtown projects, including the historical Back Alley Paris Murals, the impressive invasion of
painted catfish; and annual events, such as Downtown Paris Week, and the ice cream social.
Larry Ray is Kathy’s strong right arm. He worked tirelessly behind the scenes on event signage,
staging, seating and more.
AND, Kathy Ray is now Paris’ first female mayor.
New Route
A new, safer route is being introduced for this year’s parade. After conferring with the Paris
Police Department, the committee moved the route from State Highway 641, according the
Rachel Steedly of the Paris-Henry County Chamber. The new route begins at First United Methodist Church on the corner of North Poplar and East Blythe Streets. Goes down Poplar on the east side of the square and
turns right on Ruff Street at the First Baptist Church. It then turns right again on Brewer Street
until returning to the East Blythe.
The mission of the Downtown Paris Association is to promote prosperous business activity and
community involvement while encouraging preservation of the downtown area. For more
information call 731-653-7274.
The parade is sponsored by State Farm Agent Michael Sargent.
Photo: First Christian Church’s entry at the 2020 parade. Susan Jones photo.