Christmas is a joyous occasion for millions of people, especially in Uxbridge. Holly and Amanda Gallerani have been hard at work to prepare for the town’s 28th Annual First Holiday Night Parade on December 6th.
From leadership by the Gallerani family with many community volunteers and community partnerships, the Uxbridge First Holiday Night Parade is a free community event that brings back the old-fashioned fun of a cheerful Christmas night. According to Amanda, the daughter of Holly, the parade brings together people of all ages and serves as a spotlight for local businesses and organizations.
The parade is said to feature chainsaw demonstrations, fire dancing, ice sculptures, and of course, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. What started as a small-scale event in 1997, which only featured the Uxbridge Fire Department at the time, is now set to have 90 minutes’ worth of entertainment this year.
Holly expressed gratitude to all the sponsors for this major parade, who mentioned that “they are the backbone for what we do”. Some of their first round major sponsors include the Buma Funeral Homes, Imperial Cars, Go Tree Services, J.F. Cove Insurance Agency, UniLock, Custom Alarms, DJ Salmon Lawn Landscaping and the local grants from Cultural Council from Uxbridge, Douglas, and Millville.
“Every bit helps, from a 25-dollar donation, all the way up to a 2,500” says Holly. “They’re all the same to us…whatever funds we have, we work with it”.
Since the parade is non-profit, all the proceeds go back to benefit our local community through Mendon Street Kitchen, owned by Holly, and backpack programs for kids who struggle with food insecurity in our local school system for the weekends. Throughout the year, Christmas only happens once a year, and our community needs a lot more” states Amanda. “We’re there for any need they [the local community] have”.
Local businesses are encouraged to take part in this parade, as this annual event attracts up to seven thousand people on average, according to Amanda. Social media shoutouts are also included in the package.
The 28th Annual Uxbridge First Holiday Parade Night is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, December 6th at 4:30 PM, starting in North Uxbridge by Rivulet Street and ending at the Town Common by Route 16. To register your group, float, or organization for this parade, please fill out this registration form.
