New floats, old favorites back for COTR Day Parade
As crowds jam the streets along the Christmas on the River parade route Saturday, they can expect some old favorites, a few new floats and some surprising and entertaining entries to pass by.
Kathleen Randall, parade chairman, said volunteers have been working on the 17 COTR floats since September.
Teams from YouthLEAD, Demopolis High School softball, SGA, Anchor Club and Beta Clubs from DHS and Demopolis Middle along with many community volunteers have put in countless hours to ready the floats.
“This is my first time being chairman of a COTR event,” said Randall. “It has been a lot of fun and a learning experience.”
What she especially is happy about is the number of younger volunteers getting involved, including herself.
“A lot of the events are being directed by people in their mid-20s and 30s, and I’m glad to see this younger generation step up and get involved in COTR.”
One of the new floats for the 2019 Day Parade is in celebration of Alabama’s Bicentennial. It features the state’s symbols and costumed riders depicting some notable characters from Alabama history.
Joining the COTR floats, said Randall, are an additional 35-40 individual entries. The papier mache heads from years past will be worn again by children in costumes.
Six bands will liven up the procession. Along with the DHS band will be units from the University of West Alabama, Sweet Water and South Choctaw high schools and the band from Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery that has gotten nation-wide attention for its unique drum major corps.
Leading the parade will be the Grand Marshal, Dr. Ken Tucker, 12th president of UWA and a Marengo County native.
Dr. Tucker has received numerous awards and honors for excellence in teaching and professional contributions. He is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, served as chair of the Marengo County Commission and received the Excellence in County Government Award from the Alabama Association of County Commissioners twice.
Tucker is also active in community and civic affairs, serving as president or chair of chambers of commerce, civic clubs, boards of education, leadership organizations, school foundations and more and is a long-time Sunday School teacher.