Last November 22, a drizzle hung over Cumberland Street as the Salvation Army's gingerbread float rolled past. Not far behind came a One Way Thrift float carrying an assortment of livestock, which went on to win Best Float. Horses and ponies with the Lebanon County Equine 4H wore gingerbread costumes. Like every year, the Santa float came last. The parade started at 10 a.m. and ran until about 1 p.m., and people stayed through the weather, LebTown reported.
The gingerbread was only the second theme in the parade's history. On Saturday, November 21, the Community of Lebanon Association holds its 50th annual Lebanon Holiday Parade under the banner "The Year of Tinsel – Celebrating 50 Golden Years of Holiday Magic." The parade is half a century old, but the habit of giving each year a name is only on its third parade. That habit is now shaping all of downtown Lebanon's holiday season.
Two Parades Became One
The holiday parade started out as two parades. CLA president Greg Bracale told LebTown in 2023 that Lebanon once held separate Halloween and Christmas parades. "When the Halloween parade got kind of shut down many years ago, they just combined the two and then made it earlier, and we now call it the holiday parade," he said.
In that same interview, Bracale called it "probably one of our more complicated events" and said, "We are one of the last large-large community parades in the region. So many have kind of went by the wayside." The Arnolds were the main sponsors then. Ed and Jeanne Arnold are still the Holiday Presenting Sponsor for the 50th.
For most of its run, the format stayed simple: bands, floats, balloons, and Santa at the end. The one big break came in 2020, when CLA held a virtual parade and asked people to send in photos and videos.
The Theme Showed Up in Year 48
CLA first gave the parade a theme in 2024, along with a "Best in Holiday Theme" prize. According to LebTown's 2025 preview, the committee picked the next theme soon after the 2024 parade ended. The prize was $150 for first place and $100 for second.
The parade's co-chair, who is also a CLA vice president, told LebTown the theme helped explain why 2024 was CLA's "biggest parade ever":
"We had the most participants last year, and it was just really cool to see all the community that comes together. We have a lot of community members that walk through the parade and then find a spot and sit down and watch the rest of the parade."
The theme quickly reached beyond the parade itself. The committee said it chose gingerbread for 2025 because it "saw some cool opportunities for window displays." CLA also worked with downtown businesses on a "hunt and find gingerbread man" that ran through the season. Two gingerbread men led the parade. A patriotic division in the middle of the 2025 lineup marked the start of America's 250th, led by a fife and drum group from the Philadelphia area. That division got its own prize category.
The judges in the drizzle named these winners last year:
- Best gingerbread theme: Salvation Army, then Lebanon County Equine 4H
- Best patriotic theme: Danstation and America 250
- Best Float: One Way Thrift, then North Cornwall Commons, whose float also used the gingerbread theme
- Dance: Jonestown Dance, then Generation Dance
- Walking group: Cedar Culture, then Boots & Bridles 4-H Horse and Pony Club
- Decorated emergency vehicle: First Aid & Safety Patrol, then Rural Security
So more of the entries are competing now, and more of downtown takes part in the theme.
Tinsel Covers the Whole Season
The first two themes centered on parade day and the storefronts around it. This year's name covers every CLA holiday event. CLA has put four events under "The Year of Tinsel," and its tree lighting page tells families to "join us for one event—or celebrate with us throughout the entire holiday season."
| Date | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 20 | Tree Lighting Festival | 9th & Cumberland Streets | 5–7 p.m., tree lit around 6:55 | Free |
| Saturday, Nov. 21 | 50th Annual Lebanon Holiday Parade | Cumberland Street | Morning | Sidewalk viewing along the route |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Carriage Rides & Winter Wonderland | 8th Street | 5–8 p.m. | Festival free, rides ticketed |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | Carriage Rides & Winter Wonderland | 8th Street | 5–8 p.m. | Festival free, rides ticketed |
The tree lighting shows how much things have grown. In 2023, it was a 6 to 7:30 p.m. gathering at the Ninth-Cumberland lot with a brass band, carols, and Mrs. Claus handing out goodies. This year it starts at 5 p.m. and runs as a two-hour festival. The Lebanon Community Library will read holiday stories at 5:15 and 6:15. Lebanon Family Health Services will have children's activities. Kids can also write letters at a Letters to Santa station or try a holiday scavenger hunt, and Toys for Tots will collect new, unwrapped toys. WiLBuR 99.7 broadcasts live from downtown from 4 to 7 p.m.
Dinner will come from food trucks this time. The planned lineup is Italian Oven on Wheels, Joy Joy Lumpia, Homestead Chef, Old Road Pretzels, Sirro's, Cool Beans Brew, and Seltzer's Bologna Bites, and CLA says it may change. Local groups perform from 5 to 6:30 p.m. CLA is still looking for choirs, bell choirs, and youth groups for 10- to 25-minute slots, and requests are due to [email protected] by Friday, November 6.
The December carriage nights have changed too. Carriage rides are an old CLA tradition, but the Winter Wonderland Festival is new this year, added "as part of the 50th Annual CLA Lebanon Holiday Parade celebration." It brings fire pits, holiday lights, music, and food trucks to 8th Street.
Parade Morning, Start to Finish
The parade is the busiest of the four events, and in recent years it has followed a set pattern. LebTown's events calendar lists a 10 a.m. step-off on Cumberland Street from Lincoln Avenue to Ninth Street, the same start and route as last year. Check CLA's parade page for final details as the day gets closer.
- 7 to 8 a.m. The co-chair told LebTown last year that blankets and chairs start showing up on the sidewalks this early. She also said the route is long enough that later arrivals can still find a good spot.
- Before step-off. She called parking the hardest part of the morning, since many side streets close. Her advice was to come early and look for a public lot.
- 10 a.m. The parade steps off. Last year the judging area and broadcast booth were on Cumberland near Seventh Street, where some groups stopped for two-minute performances. That stretch is where you'll see the full shows.
- Around 1 p.m. In both 2024 and 2025, the last entry reached the end of the route about three hours after the start.
If you're staying home, Laura LeBeau of WiLBuR 99.7 and Nancy Ryan of the Nancy & Newman Show on Froggy Valley 100.1 are back to host the broadcast.
Two of the entry rules explain things you'll see along the route. Walkers hand out treats because nothing can be thrown. And just one Santa appears, at the very end, because CLA's rules say "NO portrayals of Santa - we do not want to confuse the children with more than one Santa in the parade." WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital is the Grand Marshal sponsor this year.
Carriage Rides Are Booked by Time Window
Each carriage holds about 10 to 15 passengers and leaves from 8th Street between Cumberland and Chestnut Streets. The first ride departs at 5 p.m. and the last at 7:35 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 3 to 12.
When you buy tickets in advance, you choose one of four windows for each night: 5:00–5:20, 5:40–6:00, 6:20–6:45, or 7:10–7:35. CLA suggests buying ahead to get the evening and time you want. Walk-up tickets are first come, first served. You don't need a ticket for the Winter Wonderland Festival, so the fire pits are free while you wait for your ride.
Warm Up Along Cumberland Street
Parade morning in late November can be cold, and a few long-running spots on Cumberland Street are close by. Cakes by Moraima & Café at 443 Cumberland has been run by owner Moraima Gonzalez since 2021. A LebTown profile from June listed hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., which would cover the whole parade.
Closer to the Ninth Street end is La Placita at 922 Cumberland. Co-owners Sergio Uraga and Guadalupe Barba opened it in 2005 and moved to this spot in 2013. LebTown reported hours of Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with food served from 11 a.m. to about 6:30 p.m., a good fit for lunch after the parade. Further down, Eagle Mart Deli & Bar at 1130 Cumberland lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to midnight on its own site and serves breakfast, hoagies, and burgers. Hours change with the seasons, so call ahead before you head over with cold kids.
The holidays are when a lot of families start thinking about what next year might look like, maybe a home within walking distance of the 8th Street fire pits or a yard big enough to host the whole family after the parade. If that sounds like you, Jennifer Jablonski would be glad to talk it through over coffee on Cumberland Street. Start with a free home valuation, and she'll show you how your current home could fit into your plans for next year's parade.
