LUMBERTON — Santa Claus is coming to town.
Saturday morning sees the holiday period kick off in Robeson County with the annual Lumberton Christmas Parade, with other local towns lining up with their own parades during the coming weeks.
Starting at 9:30 a.m. in downtown Lumberton — 30 minutes earlier than in years past — and winding its way to Elm Street to Biggs Park Mall, the parade will be led by Ashton Locklear, the grand marshal.
Locklear, a Lumbee Indian, was a member of the women’s gymnastics team that competed in Rio de Janeiro in August, the first American Indian to make the U.S. Olympic squad. The 18-year-old gymnast placed second in the uneven bars and 13th in balance beam in the U.S. Olympic trials to earn her a spot as one of the three alternates on the U.S. team. Ashton was born in Lumberton and is the daughter of Terry and Carrie Locklear.
Following the Olympian will be marching bands, commercial floats, original homemade floats, beauty pageant queens and kings, carolers, antique vehicles and tractors — and, of course, the jolly old elf himself and Mrs. Claus.
The parade will be recorded and broadcast, with Morgan Hunt Jones of UNCP and Joe Butler of Southeastern Health providing the commentary.
The Lumberton Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors the event.
