Paris, Tenn.–Two familiar faces and a school that celebrated a golden anniversary this year will be honored in the of the 13th Annual Holly Jolly Electric Christmas Parade.
Actress Cherry Jones was selected as the Grand Marshal, Artist Dan Knowles has received the honor of Downtown Paris Association Ambassador and Henry County High School has been named the featured school.
The event is set for 5 p.m. Saturday, December 14, immediately following Santa’s Christmas Festival downtown.
Jones, a native Parisian, with two Tony and two Emmy Awards to her credit, has long touted her hometown as a place that nurtures all artistic endeavors. “And the way Paris celebrates Christmas is certainly a work of art,” she said.
A student of HCHS Speech and Drama Instructor Linda Wilson Miller, Jones graduated in 1974. She has captured Tony Awards for The Heiress and Doubt and Emmy’s for 24 and The Handmaid’s Tale. Jones has appeared in more than 50 television shows, films and streaming media programs including Signs, The Horse Whisperer, Boy Erased, New Year’s Eve and Motherless Brooklyn. She was in the previous season of HBO’s Succession and appears in Apple’s upcoming miniseries Defending Jacob.
White & Associates – Wimberley Agency will be hosting a Q and A for Jones at their downtown office on the square from 3 – 4 pm during the Christmas Festival. The agency will be serving refreshments until parade time. Jones also will present trophies to winners at the Old 5 & 10 Event Center following the parade.
“I love getting back home for Christmas. My sister and I grew up downtown in our family’s flower shop, and there is no higher honor than being on a float that passes through our bustling square all dressed up for the holidays,” she said.
The DPA Ambassador is an award created to shine a spotlight on an individual who has gone above and beyond for downtown. “Dan Knowles, our fabulous Back Alley Paris mural artist was the obvious choice for this honor,” said DPA Executive Director Kathy Ray. “Dan has turned our alleys into showplaces that encourage tourism and help everyone learn more community history.”
Henry County High School is the featured school for this year’s parade. “This is the perfect way to celebrate the close of our 50th Anniversary Year,” Principal Michele Webb said. “We have had a remarkable year filled with a huge homecoming, a time capsule, a big tailgate party with former classes, renaming the Little Theatre, the field house and the football field for beloved teachers and coaches, and now we’re going to finish in the best possible way, a parade.”
Plenty of Patriots will be on hand to help celebrate. The Marching Patriot Band will kick off the parade and several school organizations also will be on hand.
Top photo: Cherry Jones; at bottom Dan Knowles and Kathy Ray.
