Macon parade has 87 entries and 'went off without a hitch'

Chances are Carson Barnhart will not remember attending his first parade in Macon on Sunday. But if his mother, Hailey Barnhart, has anything to say about it, it will become an annual tradition.

The 2-month-old, decked out in a Christmas outfit, was snuggled in the arms of his father, Justin Barnhart, while the family watched the parade as it came down Cherry Street.

"I am very big on Christmas, and I want him to be very big on Christmas," Hailey Barnhart said.

While she has been going to the Warner Robins parade for years, this was her first visit to the Macon parade.

Justin Barnhart said he especially liked to come to see the bands and floats.

"I used to play in a marching band," he said. He played the trumpet while attending Westside High School in Houston County.

Emily Dorsey of Macon has been coming to the Macon parade for 20 years, she said before the parade started. She was looking forward to seeing her 9-year-old daughter, Janyla Bryant, and her niece Tamia Cross, who were marching with Girl Scout Troop 60206.

"I just enjoy everybody getting together and seeing all the different bands and everything," Dorsey said. "And most of all Santa Claus for the kids."

Her son, Stephun Bryant, 8, listed his favorite things about the parade in order: "Santa, Mustangs and the bands."

Khalil Green, 9, said he liked the bands and the floats, but he was hoping for a little something extra.

"I hope they will throw candy," he said.

The theme for this year's parade was "Believe" and its grand marshal was Bibb County School Superintendent Curtis Jones Jr. The parade had 87 entries, said Steven Fulbright Main Street Macon manager. It included several marching bands, self-made and professionally made floats, several motorcycle entries, antique and modern fire engines and old and new cars.

"It went off without a hitch, Fulbright said. "The weather was perfect. ... I have no complaints."

A contest was held for the entries, and the categories and winners are:

Best band: M.A. Evans Academy Marching Band

Most creative unit: A motorized sofa by the Macon-Bibb County vehicle maintenance department.

Best all around: Macon Beer Festival float.

The judges for the contest were Jan Beeland, representing the Macon Arts Alliance; Collin Holder, director of development for Bragg Jam; and Molly Wilkins, who operates Southern Bon Vivant, an online magazine.

The winners got a certificate and bragging rights, Fulbright said.

Several different agencies and groups helped to clean the streets after the last entry -- a truck towing Santa Claus and his reindeer -- traversed the route, he said.

"If you go downtown now, it is perfectly clean," he said about three hours after the parade ended.

To contact writer Linda S. Morris, call 744-4223 or follow her on Twitter @MidGaBiz.

This story was originally published December 6, 2015 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Macon parade has 87 entries and 'went off without a hitch' ."