While it is currently the spooky season, with pumpkin spice and scary movie marathons dominating the month of October, it is already a different holiday season for community planners, who are deep into the legwork necessary for the Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions the community expects.

One of those traditions happens to be the Annual Portsmouth Area Jaycees’ Christmas Parade that is in its 85^th year. The event is a huge community undertaking that features local businesses, charities, and clubs through a colorful and lit parade route.

“This time of year is important to a lot of people. It is a time for faith, family, and giving thanks,” Jaycees’ Gary Jenkins, of Jenkins Family Enterprises, said. “This parade is important in kicking off the festivities.”

Jenkins explained that he finds the event to be a cornerstone of the community and he is proud to have the privilege of keeping it going.

“When I was a little kid, I used to go to the Christmas Parade. Then, when I was in Middle and High School, I marched with the band,” Jenkins said. “Now, being able to help with it is an immense point of pride, but it is also a huge responsibility to make sure this tradition is upheld in a respectful manner and done correctly for the citizens of Scioto County and the greater Portsmouth area.”

You can register for the parade online, where there is a google form on the Jaycees Facebook page. Line-up is at 5 p.m. It is free for non-profit organizations and $50 for businesses and those not affiliated with a non-profit. Jenkins says it is important to get paying participants because it sustains the event. For more information, reach out to Jenkins Family Enterprises at 740.550.1525.

“We make sure everyone is safe and the event is carried out appropriately,” Jenkins said. “There are all sorts of little costs that nobody thinks about. You know, we buy visibility jackets for the parade crew and all sorts of little things. It goes to make sure the parade runs effectively, and, most importantly, safely.”

The parade will end at Market Street, where Friends of Portsmouth will kick off Winterfest with the Christmas tree lighting and first night of festivities.

“We are immensely excited to be able to merge these two traditions together again this year,” Jenkins said. “Combining the parade and the lighting just makes for a great way to kick off the season.”

Friends of Portsmouth Executive Director Bryan Smith echoes Jenkins’ sentiment.

“I think it is awesome. We look for a great crowd,” Smith said. “It was packed last year and I think it is a cool way to kick off Winterfest and the evening, by lighting the tree.”

Smith said ice skating and the Winterfest events will be open and functioning that night.

“Everything will be ready,” Smith said. “We will open at 6 p.m. and people will be able to start celebrating.”

The parade welcomes about 60 participants each year, but many are large groups that extend the length of the event.

The parade will be held November 16 at 6 p.m.

According to the Jaycees, the parade starts at Portsmouth High School and travels west on Gallia Street to Chillicothe Street, onto 5^th Street and ends at Market Street.

The Jaycees is a social group in need of members. Anyone ages 21-40 may join. They can contact the group on Facebook at Portsmouth Area Jaycees.

This is, currently, the only annual event the Jaycees hosts.

“We’ve made a lot of changes with our events and scheduling,” Jaycees’ Gary Jenkins said. “We are on the rebound, as far as membership; our numbers grow monthly. We are continuing our tour of Scioto County, as we go from business to business and meet with different people and members, since we’ve sold the meeting hall. The new format is very beneficial to us, especially since we have improved our numbers and have networked more.”

Jenkins claimed the changes have allowed the group to meet with more professionals in the business community and also provide more educational classes and offerings.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.