Demopolis’ 47th annual Christmas on the River will kick-off on Wednesday, Nov. 29, lasting until the day of the parades on Saturday, Dec. 2. The day parade will take place in downtown Demopolis and the night parade will start at Demopolis City Landing.

Planning is well underway for Christmas on the River (COTR), with volunteers from all over town lending a hand in each event. “People in our community are so willing to help when you ask them,” said Jennifer Roemen, Chairman of COTR, describing her role in the festivities as “an honor” for that reason.

Roemen, who has been involved in planning COTR for over a decade, describes the event as one that has “… something for everyone to enjoy.” She welcomes business sponsors, vendor applicants and parade participants, admitting that COTR “takes an army” to make successful.

The three days leading up to the parades will be filled with events for community members and visitors of all ages, including a gala, a charity run and a barbecue. An official schedule will be released soon. Tickets for the gala and COTR T-shirts will also be available to purchase soon.

Christmas on the River brings a great deal of attention to Demopolis as a “fun, positive event to showcase our town,” Roemen said.

The highly-anticipated Miss Christmas on the River, a series of pageants for girls of all ages to participate in, will begin on Saturday, Oct. 7 with Miss COTR, followed by Miss Junior COTR on Oct. 9, Young Miss COTR on Oct. 10 at and Little Miss COTR on Oct. 11.  Each pageant will take place at 7 p.m. except for Little Miss COTR, which will begin at 6 p.m. The deadline for applicants of Young Miss COTR and Miss Junior COTR has been extended until Fri. Sept. 29.

“[The girls] gain so much experience and self-poise in the pageants and they always seem to have fun,” said Ann Parsons, coordinator of the Miss COTR pageants.

Winners of each pageant participate in events throughout COTR, including riding in the day parade, which Parsons described as the “highlight” of their COTR experience.

Applications, as well as entry forms for vendors and parade participants, can be found at www.demopolischamber.com/christmas-on-the-river. Any questions can be directed to Brittany Norris of Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce at 334-289-0270.

(This article originally published in the Wednesday, Sept. 27, print edition of the Demopolis Times.)