On Sunday, Dec. 7 McLean residents will welcome in the holidays as more than 60 entries proceed down Old Chain Bridge Road for the annual WinterFest parade. This year’s Grand Marshals will be the veterans of American Legion Post 270 on this day of remembering the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. In the parade will be U.S. Army veterans Marvin Quinn, age 90, and Norman Duncan, 94, both veterans of World War II. Accompanying them will be Post 270 Adjutant Don Kimble and Past Commander Tom Lukas.
The stage will be set in the center curb cut of Langley Shopping Center, with Peggy Fox from WUSA Channel 9, again calling the parade. Parade entries will begin at Fleetwood Road and proceed down Old Chain Bridge Road to Elm Street. Old Chain Bridge Road will be closed to traffic from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the day of the parade.
Pre parade entertainment begins at 2:30 p.m. and will be provided by the Out of Line Band with Claudia Swope, Brandon Robertson leading the Franklin Sherman Elementary School Choir, The Aloha Boys, and Wayne Tympanick leading the Kent Gardens Elementary School Choir. Robert Rosenbaum will again provide accompaniment and holiday tunes on his piano. Bill DuBose of Vintage Wealth of McLean will emcee the entertainment again this year.
Then, at 3:30 sharp, the parade will lead off with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard and more entries, more music and more fun. New this year, WinterFest will sponsor a photo contest for spectators and entries that will be used to promote next year’s parade. Images will be judged in the following categories: Best overall photo of the event; Best photo of pre-parade entertainment; Best photo of Parade Spectators; Best photo of parade entries; and Best photo taken by a child 12 or under. Winners will be announced in January. Go to www.mcleanwinterfest.org for the contest details.
This year’s food vendors will include DC Sliders, Mama’s Donut Bites, sweets from Fluffy Thoughts and Swizzler Gourmet Hot Dogs. Naked Pizza will be selling by the slice at their store parking lot on Chain Bridge Road, across from Langley Shopping Center. There will be convenient handicapped parking in the McLean Baptist Church parking lot closest to the stage and chairs set up for seniors and veterans across the street from the stage.
The parade steps off at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7. This year’s WinterFest parade will be bigger and better than ever. Follow updates of McLean WinterFest on Facebook and Twitter and go to www.mcleanwinterfest.org for more parade information including a map of the parade route and suggestions for parade parking for entries and spectators.