LIVERMORE FALLS — The annual Spirit of the Season Parade scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, is in jeopardy of being canceled.

The parade, as of Thursday, had only one entry. There are also some changes in Santa’s visit this year.

“We need more participation,” committee member Barbara Cook said.

She would like to see at least 12 floats in the parade to go along with the fire trucks. Walkers and riders can also participate.

The committee sent letters on how to build a float. It doesn’t take much to put lights on a trailer to run off a generator, she said. Anything is OK, except for Santa Claus.

Anyone who wants to enter a float or participate in the parade is asked to call Cook at 645-4753 or 778-1297, or Jackie Knight at 577-2755.

Participants will start lining up at 4:30 p.m. at MEMCO on Main Street/Route 4 in Jay. The parade kicks off at 5 p.m. and will go to downtown Livermore Falls.

The committee will meet Tuesday, Nov. 25, to make a decision on the parade.

Santa will make his visit during Santa’s Workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the cafeteria of the former Livermore Falls High School at 25 Cedar St. in Livermore Falls, Knight said.

Santa’s visit was changed because there was no place available along the parade route where Santa could have gotten off a firetruck after the parade to go inside a building to meet with children, Cook said.

During the workshop, children can shop for 25-cent items for their parents. Gifts will be sold until they run out. Last year, they sold more than 400 items, Knight said.

The Livermore Falls Downtown Betterment Group will wrap the gifts for the children.

Any donations of used items in good condition that could be gifts, except for clothing, can be dropped off to committee member Rachel LaBrecque at the Androscoggin Bank in Jay. They can also be dropped off at the Livermore Falls Advertiser office on Main Street in Livermore Falls and Knight’s breezeway on Pine Avenue in Livermore Falls, Knight said.

Cumberland Farms is also accepting items in Livermore Falls, Cook said.

Men’s items are especially needed, she said. Some ideas for donations are belts, wallets, hunting and fishing items, books and CDs.

Monetary donations are also welcome to help with program expenses. 

The Spirit of the Season tree at Union Park in Livermore Falls will be lit before the parade begins.

Donations for the tree project can be made in memory or in honor of someone people want to recognize. The money received goes toward buying coats and mittens for children in Regional School Unit 73.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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