Bridge City holding inaugural night parade

An inaugural event is being put together by the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce. The nighttime "Christmas Lights Parade" is set for this Saturday.. and it's not just to lift spirits, it's to boost donations.

Tucked away in a corner of downtown Orange is a secret mission in progress.

Operation Christmas is the biggest project of the year for the Leo Club, an Orange County youth civic organization partnered with the Lions Club.

Leo Club member Kayla Kahm said, "It's crazy, but we always do really good on it and we always look forward to doing our Christmas float."

But this year, the challenge means a little more.. because come this weekend, this Christmas float will be part of the biggest celebration Bridge City has yet to see.

Parade Chairwoman Donna Scales said, "We're slowly moving back in and things are starting to shape up and we're bigger and better than what we were before."

While Bridge City has had Christmas parades in the past, this year the Chamber of Commerce put a twist on the event by holding it at night. The organization hopes the time change will bring a spirit change to the city.

Leo Club sponsor, Pam Scales Crew, said, "They're gonna have a good time down there and they'll be all kinds of lights and pretty music, it'll be a good time."

The Chamber is also hoping to make a change to the staggering number of Orange County children expected to be without presents this Christmas.  They're doing that by asking each parade participant to donate a new toy or clothing item for the 700+ needy children in Bridge City and Orangefield.

Scales said, "Not all of our families are back in their homes, not all are situated where the kids can have a very good Christmas and we thought that might be a good idea to support our Ministerial Alliance."

Kahm said, "Everybody feels good about donating, kind of makes you feel like a better person for giving back to your community."

And even though this hard work is all for a good cause.. it's still a competition for some..

"'So what's this float themed?' Oh well, we can't give away our secrets!"

The parade is in conjunction with a 50th Anniversary celebration for the Chamber of Commerce.

The day starts Saturday at 11 a.m. besides food and drinks, participating businesses will be offering one-day sales and Santa portraits will be taken starting at one.

As for the parade, start time is 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5th. Area schools will take part and the Parade Marshals will be the 2009 Bridge City Little League All-Star team.

If you'd like to participate in the parade, you can sign up at the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce, located at 150 W. Roundbunch.

For more information, including the parade route, contact the Chamber at 735-5671.