Santa’s in Old Town: Bluffton’s annual Christmas Parade draws big crowd, holiday cheer
Old Town Bluffton was the place to be if you wanted to see Santa on Saturday morning.
The jolly old fellow made quite a few appearances in the 2019 Town of Bluffton Christmas Parade, including flying overhead in a helicopter, riding atop a fire engine, and — in true Bluffton fashion — driving a golf cart.
Families decked out in red, green, and sparkles galore lined the Old Town streets. Some folks started gathering along the parade’s route more than an hour before it began to snag the spots with the best views.
They caught up with friends they hadn’t seen in a while, drank hot chocolate local organizations were handing out, munched on breakfast, and counted down the minutes until they got to see Santa.
Floats, bands, schools, local organizations and town officials marched along the path lined with palmetto trees and light up wreaths tossing candy and freebies to everyone who waved.
Lowcountry culture really shined through in the parade with the appearance of a skateboarding shark, candy being tossed from pots used for Frogmore stew, and the sun beaming down making it too hot to wear the infamous tacky Christmas sweater.
Peacock Automotive and the Teens for Healthy Youth, an initiative of the Lowcountry Alliance for Healthy Youth, were the parades grand marshals.
The company and youth group were chosen for the honor because of their partnerships with the Lutzie 43 Campaign, which raises awareness about distracted driving, Mayor Lisa Sulka said during the town’s Christmas tree lighting Friday night.
A child was injured after the parade in the parking lot of Red Cedar Elementary School, the ending point of the parade where floats and cars were disbanding.
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This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Santa’s in Old Town: Bluffton’s annual Christmas Parade draws big crowd, holiday cheer."
