By Elisabeth Strillacci

SPENCER — The Holiday Caravan Parade Committee was already making plans for the 2025 parade five minutes after the 2024 parade ended, and now the goal is to find corporate sponsors for this year.

“We don’t have a huge budget, but we do need enough money to pay the bands in particular,” said Heather Resino, co-chair of the committee. “We need to pay them to cover the cost of their travel expenses, and last year the bands cost us about $4,000.”

And the group has extended the deadline for applications for the crown of Miss Spencer Rowan, who will be the queen of the Holiday Caravan parade.

The title comes with a $500 scholarship from the Jaycees, said Resino, and any Rowan County female between the ages of 16 and 26 who is a high school or college student or graduate, unmarried and “of good moral character” is invited to apply.

Lynn Pervis, Resino’s co-chair of the committee, said the applications will close Aug. 15.

“We’re setting that date because we are also bringing back the Street Dance,” Purvis said. “We used to have that on the street on Labor Day weekend, but we stopped doing it I think around 2004. The Jaycees are bringing it back this year but in the new park instead of the street, so no need to close the road.”

The dance will be held at the new Town Park on Saturday, Aug. 30. That morning, the applicants for the Spencer Rowan Queen will have an in-person interview with judges, and during a band break at the dance, candidates will each answer a question live in front of those at the dance. Judges will deliberate and during a second break, the winner will be crowned.

During Miss Spencer Rowan’s year of reign, said Purvis, “we’re going to work to have her represent Spencer in community events as well as in other parades. And she will be the host queen in the Holiday Caravan.”

The band Divided by Four will perform live at the dance and will offer a variety of music and all dances are welcome. The event is free and open to the public. Food will be available though it hasn’t been determined if there will be food trucks or if it will be local restaurants staying open and offering event fare.

This year’s Holiday Caravan parade for Christmas is scheduled for Nov. 26, with a tentative step off time of 6:30 p.m. Right now, the committee has two priorities — corporate or larger sponsors and volunteers to work the night of the parade. Volunteers will help maintain road closures, providing detour directions and with getting participants lined up properly.

“This is still and always going to be a hometown parade, with the focus on family and fun,” said Resino. “We’re not worried about fancy or expensive. We want everyone to participate and feel like this represents our community.” A few things they learned from last year was they need to make sure rules of the route are clear, and that participants don’t end up stopping for extended performances which caused some gaps in the parade last year.

In addition, she hopes this year to have a tent both for gathering volunteers and as a central location for participant check in.

“We have radios, which helps, but this time around we are going to set up one place for everyone to check in and get their hang tags that indicate their position in the parade,” she said. “That way we can more easily keep track of who has arrived and who has not. And the volunteers will have a central place to go if they need direction or assignment.” She hopes to have a large, lighted tent with a sign indicating the spot is for check in and volunteers.

In addition, they are hoping to get a new, easier to carry banner for the parade and yard signs instead of stakes, which don’t stand up as well.

Resino is working to get a website up and running for the parade where participants and volunteers can sign up, and where the community can check in on updates and schedules.

She said the committee wants to hold the parade length to no more than an hour, in order to keep younger children engaged. And because the parade is at night, she says going too late in the cold isn’t ideal, either.

One thing they are not doing this year is offering sponsor seating, she said.

“We did last year and no one ended up using the chairs we provided. We had to scramble to get them, and put them in prime locations, and they weren’t used. So we’ll offer other perks to sponsors instead.”

Anyone interested in being a sponsor or in participating can email the committee at spencersholidaycaravan@gmail.com. Deadline for participant entry is Oct. 1.