Breakfast with Santa benefits Holiday Caravan

SALISBURY — For the first time, the Holiday Caravan will host a meal with Santa to raise money for Spencer and Salisbury’s annual parade.

Breakfast with Santa will run from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 10 at the Rowan County Rescue Squad, 1140 Julian Road. Tickets are $6 for children 12 and younger and $8 for adults.

The Holiday Caravan Board of Directors, made up of nine volunteers, puts on the parade the day before Thanksgiving that has run through Spencer and downtown Salisbury for 52 years. The group plans to turn the breakfast into an annual fundraising event.

The breakfast will include storytime with Santa, crafts, puzzles, games and letters to Santa. Adults should bring their own camera to capture images of kids with St. Nick .

Proceeds from the event will go toward bringing special attractions to the parade, such as additional Shriners groups and entertainment characters.

It costs about $35,000 to put on the parade each year, organizer Wesley Perry said. This year, the parade had one sponsor, Food Lion, which donated $5,000. Parade entrants pay to participate.

Expenses include renting professional floats, covering expenses for the bands and Shriners, insurance, marketing, permits and more, Perry said.

“People don’t realize how expensive it is to put this on,” he said.

Reservations are preferred for Breakfast with Santa, but walk-in guests are welcome. For information or tickets, call 704-636-5335 or email santa@holidaycaravanparade.com .

Tickets are also available for purchase at www.holidaycaravanparade.com . Click on “Breakfast with Santa.”