The photo above includes Amanda West, and Barbara Freed with Over Yonder Coffee, Teas, and Creamery and Greg Sykes, Jane Walters, Amanda Sykes, and Jessica Hammonds with the Bladenboro Christmas Parade Committee.
By Charlotte Smith
The Bladenboro Christmas Parade committee wanted to take the holiday cheer further this year since it was the 49th anniversary of the small-town parade’s inception.
“It started with our Brownie Troop,” Amanda Sykes recalled about how the annual Christmas parade started, “My mom, Sue Galloway, and Jane Walters started the Christmas parade all those years ago.”
Wanting something more, the parade committee members began to discuss ways to get the downtown businesses more involved. According to Amanda and her husband, Greg, Jessica Hammonds, and Sarah Benson organized the first window shopping contest in Bladenboro this season.
Jessica said, “I was scrolling Facebook and saw another town had done something similar to decorating the businesses’ windows with paint, so I shared it with Greg and Amanda.”
On October 23, 2022, the parade committee announced any downtown business that decorated their windows for the holidays with paint would be entered into a contest to win first, second or third place. The local participating merchants had until Saturday, December 3, 2022, to paint their piece of the town with holiday art.
A majority of the downtown business owners participated in the contest. There were 14 entries in total. The Bladenboro businesses that participated in the competition are below.
Bella Bee
Benson’s Grill
Bladenboro Hardware Store
Carolina Karate
Chandler’s Backstreet Barbershop & Beauty Shop
El Torito Mexican Restaurant
First Citizens
Hood Land Company
Market on Main
Over Yonder Coffee, Teas, and Creamery
Pawn South
The Hive Beauty Bar
The Medicine Shop
Victory Medical
The parade committee announced the winners on Friday, December 9, 2022.
The first-place winner was Over Yonder Coffee, Teas, and Creamery with their “Winter Wonderland” theme. Second place went to The Hive Beauty Bar for their “Grinch” theme art. Lastly, Benson’s Grill was the third-place winner with various Christmas-themed paintings on their windows.
Amanda said, “I’m proud of the town and all the merchants that stepped up and participated. It made it a wonderful contest.”
The judges of the contest were not local people. Jessica explained that some of the float drivers from Robeson County chose the winners.
Amanda West, the owner of Over Yonder Coffee, Teas, and Creamery, said, “Walter, my husband painted the Bob Ross happy little trees, and I painted the other trees. I wanted the whole store to look like a winter wonderland. That was my goal.”
She continued, “I was sincerely shocked when they said I won!”
Amanda explained; she walked out to do some more work on her windows the Thursday before the contest was to end and saw Tracy Reinecker, one of the owners of The Hive Beauty Bar right next door to her coffee shop, hand painting the Grinch. “She did an amazing job,” Amanda noted.
The Grinch theme won second place. Tracy said, “We had a vote, and there were some other options. We chose the Grinch because it crosses all the generations.”
A plaque will be displayed at the first-place winner’s place of business for a year. After the contest ends next Christmas season, the new first-place winner’s name will be added to the plaque and given to the winner to display at their establishment.
“We hope all the businesses will participate next year,” Jessica said.
The Bladenboro Christmas Parade is held annually on the first Saturday in December.
Related article:
Christmas Time Officially Starts in Bladenboro with Annual Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony
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