Photo by: Robert O. Williams/ The Williams Group
It’s a Small World at Chester County’s largest hometown parade, the Coatesville Christmas Parade, taking center stage down the historic Lincoln Highway, on Dec. 7, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. This year’s theme, “Winter Holidays Around the World” strikes an inclusive theme with the celebration of all holidays (traditions) in all countries. The parade, which began in 1950s, traditionally hosts over 160 plus entries gracing the Lincoln Highway. It features Mummers Bands straight from Broad Street, children’s dance academies, fleets of tow trucks, police cars and fire trucks, to local contractors showing off their custom-crafted floats—and everything in between. The Coatesville Christmas Parade has it all—including the Philadelphia Phillies’ very own Phanatic!
New this year, at the request of families with children with sensitivity to noise and flashing lights, will be Quiet Zones. Lincoln Highway blocks 4th Avenue through 5th Avenue and 8th Avenue through 9th Avenue will provide an area where fire apparatus is asked to refrain from horns, sirens, and flashing lights. “This idea came up in an online survey of parade attendees,” says Greg DePedro, Parade Vice President. “We like to respond to our audience’s needs and requests.”
This year’s Grand Marshal is the Cleveland-Cliffs Coatesville Team, including Senior General Manager of Eastern Plate, Cory Chappell, Community Relations Representative of the Northeast Region, Shelley Hoffman, and select key leadership from the United Steelworkers (USW), a general trade union with members across North America, including Local 1165 President Brandon Davies, Local 1165 Vice President Fred Grumbine, and Women of Steel Chair Stacey Jones. “The idea of honoring community members who have been exceptional citizens with the title of Grand Marshal goes back about 60 years,” says Mr. DePedro. “Cliffs has been an exemplary corporate citizen in the last four years since they took over the Coatesville operation. Their support in Coatesville has been remarkable.”
This year’s Presenting Sponsor, for the second year in a row, is also Cleveland-Cliffs, a leading North America-based steel producer with a focus on value-added sheet products, particularly for the automotive industry. Cliffs’ Coatesville operation is a steel plate production facility located in the heart of Chester County, with headquarters based in Cleveland, Ohio, employing approximately 30,000 people across its footprint in the United States and Canada, with the recent addition of Stelco. The local operation produces steel from scrap in an electric arc furnace (EAF) and can produce approximately 800,000 tons of raw steel annually. The Coatesville facility refines more than 450 different steel chemistries and, together with the Conshohocken facility located in nearby Montgomery County, produces some of the widest, thickest, and heaviest steel plates in the industry. Cliffs now operates the plant historically known as the Lukens Steel Company.
“We are here to support the community where we can and want to kick off the holiday season with a real thankful spirit in the air, and that’s what the Christmas parade does every year by capturing the magic of the season, and provides an opportunity for us to see all of those smiling faces lined up along the Business 30 corridor, which is what it’s really all about,” said Chappell. Cliffs strives to engage directly with residents, elected officials, community leaders and organizations to foster open communication and ensure they are a good neighbor. Through the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation at the corporate level, they support the important needs of the communities where they operate, which is why it comes as no surprise that they want to parlay their recognition into helping serve two of their community partners along the parade route for others who may need assistance this time of year.
Parade spectators are encouraged to bring canned goods or other non-perishable food items to donate to the Community Youth and Women’s Alliance (CYWA) located at 423 Lincoln Highway East, and/or contribute to the annual Red Kettle collection at the Salvation Army located at 669 Lincoln Highway East, in exchange for a “Cliffs Cocoa” and other sweet treats.
“As our community relations liaison, Shelley does a wonderful job in her role as the face of the steel mill in the community, especially as someone who was born and raised locally and is now back living and working in Coatesville – she cares very deeply about figuring out ways we can help give back in this area, along with our other 700 dedicated employees, in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from the union at the facility here, who volunteer throughout the entire year to donate their time, resources and expertise to meaningful causes,” Chappell emphasized. He continued, “It is truly our wish through this effort for everyone to experience a very Merry Cliffs-mas, as we say tongue in cheek internally, and a Happy and Healthy New Year on behalf of our entire team.”
This year’s parade is made possible through the generosity of the following sponsors: Alliance for Health Equity, Belfor, Bentley, Inc., Breuninger Insurance, Brian Hoskins Ford, Caliber Collision, Citadel, City of Coatesville, Cleveland-Cliffs, Coatesville Lions Club, Downingtown VFW Post 845, Freedom Village, Fulton Bank, G.A. Vietri, James Terry Funeral Homes, Kings Tavern, Jennifer McNeil, PECO, Pentahealth, Presence Bank, Stewart Huston Charitable Trust, The Williams Group, Trulieve, Uticom, WAWA, Wegmans, West End Fire Company, and Zeke’s,Inc.
This hometown parade has become a cherished memory for the families of the Coatesville area and the entire Chester County region. This event now reaches into the hearts and memories of Coatesvillians everywhere, as it now streams live (and able to be viewed after the run date) on CoatesvilleChristmasParade.com.
Slated to perform this year are Duffy and Quaker City string bands, the Sixers Stixers from the Philadelphia 76ers, local elementary, middle, and high school groups, various collegiate mascots, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Brownies. Also look for: Mac from Immaculata University, Miss Pennsylvania-Page Weinstein, Miss Teen Pennsylvania-Arianna Spurlin, Andy the Armadillo from Texas Roadhouse, Chester County Emerald Society Pipes and Drums Band, The Lukens Band, The Eagles Pep Band, and our very own Miss Coatesville – Alyssa Brown.
Not to be missed is the always-a-show-pleaser, larger-than-life cartoon characters. An automotive competition featuring Antique, Classic and Modified autos will be competing for prizes. Chester County police departments will compete for Best Appearing Police Vehicle.
The competition for Best Appearing Float sponsored by a non-profit organization features prizes of $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third place. Another category is Best Decorated Fire Apparatus, with prizes of $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third place. There is also a Best Appearing Float sponsored by a for-profit organization. The floats compete for bragging rights. Lastly, there will be a competition for Best Appearing Group. Note that all competitions are for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places.
Bringing up the rear of the parade will be none other than the big man himself, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, riding on a Coatesville Fire Department truck. And best of all, admission is free. Visit the Parade website at www.CoatesvilleChristmasParade.com for more information.
For information on this event, kindly contact Greg DePedro at 610.384.2677 or www.coatesvillechristmasparade.com or email us at committee@coatesvillechristmasparade.com
