Annual Warner Robins Christmas parade takes a new turn

WARNER ROBINS -- Amy Summers has come to the Robins Regional Christmas Parade almost every year since she was a little girl.

Summers, 39, was at the parade Saturday with her two children, Anna, 9, and Ryan, 7. She remembered when she was little that waiting to see Santa at the end of the parade was the highlight for her. As they waited for Santa on Saturday, it reminded her just how much the parade has grown through the years.

"We didn't have to wait long to see Santa back then," she said. "It takes a lot longer now."

For the first time they were watching the parade from South Davis Drive. The parade used to go straight down Watson Boulevard from Houston Road to City Hall, but this year it took a right turn onto South Davis and ended at McConnell-Talbert Stadium.

That was done to give a more spacious location for the large number of entries to disperse at the end, and it seemed to be working well.

Summers and other attendees watching from South Davis liked the change for other reasons.

"It's easy to find a parking space and a good spot to see the parade," she said.

John Williams, of Warner Robins, was also watching from South Davis with his 10-year-old son, Caleb. Caleb's identical twin Sam was walking in the parade with a Perdue Elementary dance team. They normally watch from Nola Brantley Library, which was removed from the route this year due to the change.

"I like this better," he said. "It's more open over here and there's more room to see."

As he was talking, Sam's group came by and Williams and Caleb got his attention. The group was apparently too tired to be doing any dancing at that point.

"My feet are hurting!" Sam yelled.

Drew Massee, of Kathleen, has lived in the area for four years but it was his first time coming to the parade. He normally stays home to watch college football but this year his daughter was in the parade as a part of a cheer-leading squad.

"It's great to see the community participate in such a wholesome event," he said. "I'm glad to be here to support everybody."

The parade, organized by the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce, included marching bands from Northside High and Warner Robins High, Air Force Junior ROTC units, and a wide variety of other types of floats. The grand marshal was Warner Robins firefighter Jonathan Clark, who is the state's Rookie Firefighter of the Year.

It first among a full day of parades in the area. Byron, Perry, Fort Valley and Centerville also had Christmas parades.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Annual Warner Robins Christmas parade takes a new turn ."