What do the Grinch, Santa Claus, a gingerbread man and an elf all have in common? They're all holiday characters, and chances are, you'll see at least one of them in the GEARS Elizabethtown Holiday Parade.

The parade will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the corner of West Bainbridge and South Market streets. The route will run along South Market Street up to Winnemore Alley.

The parade's theme, "Holiday Characters," will add to the festiveness of the event, said Karrie Norman, GEARS program coordinator. "We encourage all parade entries to use their creativity to bring the theme to life," she said. "A prize will be awarded to the entry with the Best Use of Theme."

Community groups, businesses and organizations will participate in the parade, which is presented by Mars Wrigley. The business also donated all of the candy given out along the parade route.

"Highlights of the parade include the Elizabethtown Area High School and Middle School bands; local area fire trucks and emergency service vehicles; large floats built by local organizations and businesses; performances by local dance, baton, cheer and unicycles; and we expect Santa to join us to close out the parade!" Norman said.

Prizes will be awarded by judges positioned in front of the post office. "This year our judges will be Caroline Lalvani, director of public affairs at Elizabethtown College; Brett Thackara, meteorologist at ABC 27; and Damien Weaver, plant director at Mars Wrigley," Norman shared.

Hosting the parade pairs nicely with the goal of GEARS, she noted.

"As a local nonprofit recreational community service organization, GEARS has the pleasure of organizing the Holiday Parade to bring joy to all ages," she stated. "We invite all ages out to enjoy the parade to boost your holiday spirit. With 60-plus entries in the parade this year, you can expect to see someone you know, an organization you have participated in or a business you have patronized as we bring the whole community together for this holiday celebration!"

For more information, visit https://getintogears.org/holiday-parade.