(gentle music) - [Announcer] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

- [Announcer] WCTE's coverage of the Cookeville-Putnam County Christmas Parade is brought to you by Gunnels Florist, Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union, The Livingston-Overton County Chamber of Commerce, Putnam County, and by Isha.

(pleasant music) - [Avery] Welcome to the 55th Annual Putnam County Christmas Parade.

I'm Avery Hutchins, General Manager at WCTE.

- And I'm Amy New.

I'm the President and CEO of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, and we are so, so excited to be here tonight as Avery said, for the 55th Annual Cookeville-Putnam County Christmas Parade.

It is going to be an incredible night.

This is truly the Chamber's gift to the community.

- It really is, and there's a great crowd out tonight.

It's beautiful.

- Already packed.

- Yeah, already packed.

That's right.

We are gonna get started here shortly, but there's just so much that goes into the Christmas parade, and it didn't just start overnight.

Can you tell our viewers a little bit how it got started?

- No, it did not.

Back in 1967, there was a large group of people in the community that came to the Chamber of Commerce and said to the then President Eldon Leslie, we need a Christmas parade, and what did Eldon do?

Eldon worked with his crew and his assistant at the time, Carolyn, to create this 55 years ago.

- It just seems like yesterday, doesn't it?

- It does.

- I heard we might have record numbers in our floats.

- Yes, we have 119 I believe tonight, 118.

- I wonder how many they had back then.

- I don't know.

We need to look and see.

- How exciting.

Well, we are excited to be here, and you know, putting on a Christmas parade like this doesn't just happen.

I mean, we don't just come together and have a parade.

There's a lot that goes into it.

The Chamber is super involved.

Tell us a little bit about the planning committee.

- The planning committee actually starts meeting in July of the year in the summer, so we have to put our Santa hats on and start thinking.

I do want to name members of those parade committee because, and I don't want to miss it, so I'm gonna read from my sheet here, but there are so many people who come into this group to make it happen.

Randy Porter, our Committee Chair, Mayor Laurin Wheaton.

Tracy Hughes is the Parade Logistics Coordinator.

Myself, along with my wonderful team, April Maynard, Bekah Davidson, Karlyn Reel and Angie Wells.

We also want to thank our police departments and our sheriff's department with the Cookeville Police Department, Darren Wilson, and then Brent Clark and all of the WCTE staff.

You have an incredible staff, Avery.

Darrin Stout with the Cookeville Police Department, Anthony Leonard and our wonderful sheriff Eddie Ferris, along with Bob Crabtree and his office, and Brandon Smith.

We cannot do it without Brandon Smith and all of the emergency staff who make this such a safe environment for us to work in.

Around the Christmas parade, there's many other contests that happen, and this year we actually hosted a hot cocoa tasting at Hillsdale Homes in November.

It was absolutely incredible.

So many people came together to make that event really special.

We had kid judges.

That was actually sponsored by Blue Waters Rentals, and our winner, that was Jamie's Eats and Sweets down on Broad Street.

It's an incredible place, but she was the winner of that hot cocoa contest.

- [Avery] Well, congratulations to her.

- [Amy] It's pretty neat.

- It's a great little store.

We also have additional sponsors and contributors that we want to recognize.

We have the Putnam County City of Cookeville, Ford Lincoln of Cookeville, Stonecom, Darren Wilson, Blue Waters Rentals, like you already mentioned, Rogers Group and Thompson Machinery for their donations, and of course for WCTE's broadcast tonight.

- Absolutely, and I do want to make sure I talk about Shine Social and the Williams family.

They actually do work so often, or helped to create that hot cocoa contest that we did back in November.

- Oh, too much fun.

I just love the holidays.

- I know, it's fun.

- There's just so much excitement going on and things to do and see, and I know people at home's schedules are super busy, but I'm just excited to see so many people out here today to enjoy the parade.

I can see some families out there right now.

Okay, well I think we're gonna, we met with a couple of people, the grand marshal.

- [Amy] Yes, Rich Froning.

I'm excited for everyone.

We have so much to celebrate about him and what he does for this area.

Hometown boy, right?

- Yes, he is.

Well, four years old.

- Four years old, four years old he moved to Cookeville.

- He said he claims us, so we'll claim him, and we do congratulate him for being the grand marshal this year.

What a great choice.

- I know, and we asked him, well, I heard you asking him if he was excited, and he said his kids were the most excited, so I think that's what him and his wife Hillary are looking forward to, is watching their kids' faces as they get to lead the parade.

- I know, what a fun experience.

So let's go just now and see if we can hear from Rich.

Okay, so we are still here at the parade, and I know you at home are getting very excited about what's about to happen.

We are too.

Some motorcycles are warming up, they just sped by us.

We're excited.

I have Rich Froning here, and for you that may not know Rich Froning, World Fitness Man of the world.

- Yeah, CrossFit Games Champion, that works.

Four time team, six time individual.

I don't know about strongest, but fittest.

- Fittest.

- Yes, it's kind of all around, I guess.

Not one specific trait.

- Gotcha.

Well, we're excited because you are our grand marshal this year.

- Yeah, I'm honored, looking forward to it.

Cookeville's home to us, so we love it here and love coming back always.

- That's absolutely correct, and your family's here with you to support?

- Oh yeah, the kids will be in the truck.

They're fired up about it, so they're ready.

- That's a lot of fun for kids.

I mean, just being around here in the holiday spirit in Cookeville is just great.

I see all the stores lit up and it's just so much fun to be here and call this place home.

- Yeah, it's beautiful.

We look forward to the parade every year and love really any event that we have going on in Cookeville.

Any time you can get the community together and have some fun, we're all about it.

- All about it, right.

You're a Cookeville High School graduate, Tennessee Tech grad.

- Cookeville High School, Tennessee Tech, been here for 30 plus years.

I was born in Michigan, but we don't count that.

I moved here when I was four, so 30 years.

Cookeville is home to us.

- Fantastic.

What are you looking forward to the most about the grand marshal?

- I think just seeing my kids and how excited they're gonna be being in the truck and seeing everybody.

They get to see it from the other side every year, so them being in the truck will be fun.

- And maybe Santa Claus.

- Yeah, and Santa.

Santa Claus for sure is the highlight.

- Awesome.

Well, congratulations with everything and for being grand marshal, and we look forward to seeing you in the parade.

- Yeah, thanks for having me.

- Absolutely.

Thank you Rich for that quick interview before the parade.

I mean, what a great guy.

- He is, he's awesome.

- Amy, we've got some more interviews coming up with the mayors, but you get to spend a lot of time with them.

How were they in planning the parade this year?

- They are so instrumental.

Actually, Mayor Porter is the chairman of the parade committee, as I mentioned earlier, but they bring all the resources.

You wouldn't believe what all goes into a parade until you get in those parade committee meetings when they start talking about the lights and closing off the streets and making sure that we have a safe environment so that we can have events like this, so they're amazing.

Obviously I get to work with them outside of the Christmas parade all the time.

We have fantastic leadership here in Putnam County and in Cookeville with Laurin and Randy.

- Absolutely, and we do welcome Laurin as our new mayor.

- Yes, this will be actually her first time walking in the parade, as you will hear later with the interview.

We're excited to watch her and Randy as they lock hands in the parade, like they have to every day.

- Yeah, that's fantastic.

We forgot to mention, but this theme this year is a Cookeville Country Christmas.

- Yes, I know.

It's gonna be fun.

You'll see that throughout the parade as we got to look at some of the floats as they were lining up.

People were very creative with the Cookeville Country Christmas.

- I love it, love it.

All right, well I say we're still waiting on the parade to get here, so while we wait, let's hear from the mayors.

- Yes.

- Good evening.

I'm Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter, along with my good friend, Cookeville Mayor Laurin Wheaton, and we want to welcome you to the 2022 Cookeville-Putnam County Christmas Parade.

- Yeah, this is the 55th Annual Christmas parade.

For me, it's my first time to actually get to ride in the parade.

I'm super excited about that.

We do want to take a moment to thank everyone who's been involved with planning the parade.

Cookeville Police, Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the city and the county, our EMS workers and everyone who put on the parade.

It is a lot of work and you're gonna see all of it come to fruition in just a few moments here, so we're really excited about it.

- We also want to thank all the individuals and businesses that have put an entry in the parade.

I think we've got about 116 entries, which is getting close to the record.

- Getting close to the record.

Not just, but we'll work on that next time.

- We will.

We're sorry we had to postpone the parade from Saturday night.

A lot of bad weather predicted.

- But this is a perfect night for a parade.

It's nice and cool, feel a little Christmas in the air.

- We have a great team here in Putnam County and the city of Cookeville.

We all work together great putting on events like this, and I want to thank Laurin and all the city workers and our county workers, everyone that's had a part in this.

We're just excited for tonight.

- We are, so we'll see y'all on the parade route.

- Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

(gentle music) - Hi everyone, I'm John Rose, your representative in Congress.

I'm checking in to wish all of you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

This is the time of year we reflect on all that God has blessed us with over the last 12 months.

No matter the challenges we face, it's important to remember how fortunate we are to be Americans.

And before I go, I want to thank you for the honor of representing you in Washington.

(bright music) - I'm Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

God bless you.

(bright music) - I'm State Representative Kelly Kiesling, serving House District 38.

Let us continue to be mindful and prayerful for those who are less fortunate.

Also, a special thank you to those in our military and their family members.

We're praying for your safety wherever you're serving and a safe return home.

Merry Christmas and may God continue to bless you, our great state and the United States of America.

- Hello, this is Senator Paul Bailey wishing you a Merry Christmas.

During this time of year, we'll be counting our blessings as Tennesseans and looking forward to a great future for America in the new year.

From my family to yours, merry Christmas and happy New Year.

- Well Amy, it was great to have messages from all of our representatives and our senators.

They take a minute to wish us all a happy holiday.

- It's really sweet.

They're great people.

We talked about the mayors earlier, and we want to thank them for their leadership.

We're very blessed at the state and federal level.

- Absolutely, to have them there.

Well, we're still waiting on the parade to show up, and it should be here any time.

We'll kick off this annual event that we have.

There's just lots going on around here.

We've got lots of children out, and we know we had to postpone it 'til tonight, but tonight was so much nicer.

- It's beautiful.

Look at all the Santa hats.

We have Santa hats out there, glow in the dark stuff.

How long have you been coming to the Christmas parade?

- Well, at least 11 years.

- There you go.

- Since I've been back.

But yeah, it's been a long time.

- It's so fun.

There are way more people out than normal tonight, so we know we picked a good night for weather.

- Absolutely.

And you know, holidays are always kind of hectic around our household.

I'm sure yours, too.

- Yes.

- But having those traditions and kind of things that we cherish, do you have anything special that you guys do?

- I would say the parade is one of those, and then obviously just spending time with our family.

Since we moved back in 2020, it's been great to just go up to Monterey, which is where I'm from, and spend time on the farm.

- Yep, you don't have to drive, pack up the kids and the dog and bring everybody back.

- Same here.

I'm from Overton County, so being able to just run home and check on parents and see people.

- That's awesome.

All my brothers and sisters live here.

- That's awesome.

- It's nice.

We do lots of cookie decorating and we do like a funny Santa swap that's fun.

- Oh, I love it.

So many traditions.

This is wild.

I cannot believe how many people have come out tonight.

This is great.

- Record numbers.

For people at home that are watching, and as we're waiting, just a quick reminder, WCTE has several holiday specials that we've put together.

One, Holiday Traditions.

I don't know if you got to see it.

- It's beautiful.

I love those.

- [Avery] Oh, there's some kids right there with some glow sticks.

I mean, to be young.

- [Amy] Out there, waiting for that candy to come flying.

- [Avery] And then of course to see Santa at the very end, it's just magical.

- [Amy] I think that's why they have some empty bags there, or was that where their cotton candy was in?

They've eaten their cotton candy, now they have a bag to put the candy in.

- [Avery] That's right, keep it all together so they can get it home.

- Yeah, and you'll see actually one of the storefronts there, that is another thing that we do here for the Christmas parade, is we have a window display judging that goes on along the parade route.

This year the sponsor of that was Aloha Heating and Cooling, and so that was pretty cool to go around with the leadership at Aloha and the team and judge those.

- [Avery] Oh, that does sound like fun.

- [Amy] We actually have a winner, and I am happy to announce that tonight if we can go ahead and do that.

Borden's Jewelry is actually the 2022 Christmas window display.

Have you seen it yet, the penguins?

- [Avery] I have not seen the penguins.

I've seen the swans, the gingerbread house.

- Last year they actually won this contest with the gingerbread houses, so we're excited.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Borden on their beautiful display.

- [Avery] Oh yes, congratulations.

- [Amy] Is this the first group?

- [Avery] I believe I hear some motorcycles, and they're gonna be their first ones up for today.

Oh, maybe not.

- [Amy] Maybe not them yet, but we can definitely see some, they're doing some nice little.

- [Avery] Some swirly-whirlies?

- Some swirly-whirlies.

What are those called Avery, the swirly-whirlies?

- We'll just call them that for now.

Again, the Upper Cumberland has lots to do around the holidays.

Cumberland County Playhouse puts on the best Christmas pageant ever.

If you haven't seen that, check that out.

Bryce McDonald is part of our board at WCTE, so we're always excited to see them.

- It looks like all the way until December 21st.

That's really neat.

- They were part of our traditions, the show that we did about traditions, the behind the scenes and what goes on at the Playhouse during the holidays.

- Those are incredibly talented people.

- [Avery] Absolutely, and we also have some programming, like Call the Midwife, is gonna be coming on again this year around Christmas.

- [Amy] Oh, that's great.

- Well, we continue to wait, Amy.

We're gonna give our viewers a little break here, and we're gonna hear from our guest music artist Melissa Ellis.

- That's great.

- Great Performances whisks us off to Vienna, where you'll waltz into the new year with Strauss, the Vienna Philharmonic and me, Hugh Bonneville as your host, along with the Vienna State Ballet.

Tune in as we ring in the new year with Great Performances on PBS.

(exciting classical music) - It's not Christmas time without a little Christmas music.

And with me, I have Melissa Ellis, our second time parade performer.

Welcome back.

- Thank you so much.

It's such an honor to be here.

- It is, and what a beautiful night to be out.

The weather is perfect.

- It is, it is.

- I feel a little Christmas in the air.

- I do too, a break in the rain.

- That's right.

Too bad it wouldn't snow.

- No kidding.

- Well Melissa, I know you love singing Christmas carols.

It's a passion of yours.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

- Well, I'm a jazz blues artist here in the Upper Cumberland, and this year I was a nominee for the Josie Awards vocalist for jazz blues, so that was really exciting for me.

- That is exciting, very.

Congratulations.

- Thank you.

- And now here you are at the Cookeville-Putnam County Christmas Parade.

Well, the holidays is always a fun tradition for everybody.

The Christmas parade here is always a fun tradition.

I have traditions, but maybe you have a few you would like to share.

- You know, it is not Christmas for me unless I see a Charlie Brown Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life, and not just It's a Wonderful Life, but I have to see it on the big screen, and then it's Christmas for me.

- Do you watch it at a special time, or do you wait?

- It depends on when I'm not busy, and this has been a very busy singing season, so I think after this next weekend I'm gonna get to settle in and watch them.

- Oh, I love that.

Get some cozy socks on and a cozy blanket.

- [Melissa] Hot cocoa.

- [Avery] Okay, after this, though.

Well thank you for being here and being out here with us.

- [Melissa] Oh, thank you.

- What a great night.

All right, I think we're gonna hear Melissa sing now.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

♪ Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ ♪ Jack Frost nipping at your nose ♪ ♪ Yuletide carols being sung by a choir ♪ ♪ And folks dressed up like Eskimos ♪ ♪ Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe ♪ ♪ Will help to make the season bright ♪ ♪ Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow ♪ ♪ Will find it hard to sleep tonight ♪ ♪ They know that Santa's on his way ♪ ♪ He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh ♪ ♪ And every mother's child is gonna spy ♪ ♪ To see if reindeer really know how to fly ♪ ♪ And so I'm offering this very simple phrase ♪ ♪ To kids from one to 92 ♪ ♪ Although it's been said many times, many ways ♪ ♪ Merry Christmas to you ♪ - Yes, oh gosh.

All of the motorcycles that we had earlier, that was led by our Lieutenant Tim Davis and then again Sergeant Gary Davis, Deputy Chris Eley and Deputy Jordan Harris.

- And they did their traditional kickoff to the parade.

- We called them the swirly-whirlies earlier.

We're not exactly sure, but they did a nice little trick out there for all the kids.

- It's amazing what they do.

And here we are with Eddie Ferris.

He has done a great job.

He was reelected this year for another term.

- [Amy] And I believe in there he has Mr. Bob Crabtree, and again the PIO, and we're gonna wave that up here.

- [Avery] I see some purple and gold.

- [Amy] You see all those familiar faces.

We love our TTU Athletic Department, as you can see down there.

- [Avery] They're comprised of approximately 320 student athletes, coaches and staff.

That's an amazing team.

The department is headed up by the one and only Director of Athletics, Mark Wilson.

- [Amy] We love Mark.

TTU athletes are expected to really take advantage of their opportunities here, and they receive valuable top notch education while participating in an exceptional athletic program, again led by Mark Wilson.

It is just incredible for our community.

- [Avery] Their goal is to provide student athletes with the resources necessary to compete to the full extent of their ability and enjoy each aspect of their collegiate experience.

At TTU, we expect everyone to demonstrate good sportsmanship, citizenship, and hope that these important qualities will assist the athletes in developing purple pride.

- [Amy] Yes, I love that.

- [Avery] I should encourage people, if you haven't been out to a basketball game, you need to get out to see one.

- [Amy] It's so fun.

The screen that they have in there is incredible.

- [Avery] It's just an overall nice family experience.

You can come out, you can get it all.

It looks like it's snowing.

- [Amy] It looks like we have some flurries in the air.

It actually it does feel cold, so that is definitely some snow, how neat.

Next we have.

- [Avery] The Miss Fabulous Pageant.

- [Amy] Oh, wow.

The Miss Fabulous Pageant just had their 10th annual pageant with over 150 contestants.

- [Avery] This year, the pageant would love to show your country how proud we are of them.

The glimpse of fun the fair would be at Christmastime.

- [Amy] Look how neat, Ferris wheel.

- [Avery] They wish everyone a merry Christmas, and there's our snow.

- [Amy] How neat.

- [Avery] What a great job.

- [Amy] They did a really good job.

Look at all the animals there in the barn.

So Miss Fabulous.

- [Avery] Miss Fabulous.

What a nice event that they put on to really see everybody and recognize everybody and give people an opportunity.

What a great thing.

- [Amy] How fun, look at all that snow.

Look at the kids' faces.

- [Avery] Oh, there's a puppy dog.

- [Amy] How neat.

- [Avery] We have Wilson Bank and Trust coming up.

- [Amy] Yes, and then, let's see, led by Philip Clemmons, by the way.

I was trying to see if that was Philip driving the truck there, but he must be in the, oh, there he is, passing out candy.

How neat.

- [Avery] Good for him.

- [Amy] They're just an incredible local hometown bank that partners with all the communities possible, but again, led by Philip Clemmons as we see there.

Hey Philip, how fun, and there's a little buddy there on the sleigh.

I think that is his entire staff.

How fun.

Look at all the kids getting the candy, Avery.

I wonder if they'll throw some out here to us.

- [Avery] We're missing out, right.

All right, here's another local favorite.

The Lazy G Ranch.

- [Amy] I believe this was one of our winners from last year, if I'm not mistaken, but circa 1854, it's the Lazy G stagecoach pulled by six, is that six, Avery?

- [Avery] It says six buffalo.

- [Amy] Six buffalo.

Remembering the days when coming home to Cookeville took a little more effort than they do these.

Isn't it funny?

- [Avery] The stagecoach.

- [Amy] Yeah, stagecoach, and then earlier we had an electric truck.

- [Avery] We got it all this year.

- [Amy] Lazy G Bison Ranch is located on Dodson Branch here in Cookeville, and is open to the public Thursday and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Did you know that bison are the US national mammal?

- [Avery] I did not, but I like it.

They're amazing creatures.

If you need to get out and see them in person, how big and magnificent they are.

- [Amy] How neat that carriage is, wow.

- [Avery] There's some competition for that prize money.

- [Amy] Actually, it's interesting.

Our presenting parade title sponsor, Ford Lincoln of Cookeville, last year, Geoff Root was one of our judges, and he said he didn't want to do it this year because it was too hard, because they were all good.

- [Avery] They were all good.

- [Amy] So it was really fun to hear him say that.

- [Avery] This is Middle Tennessee Jeep, Cookeville's first local Jeep club, and have been an exciting part of the parade for several years now.

It's amazing how creative they are with these Jeeps, as you can see.

We've got a snowman.

They're a family-oriented club that welcome all off-road enthusiasts.

- [Amy] And look at that little guy.

I'm wondering if he's enjoying this.

Now he has kicked in.

- [Avery] Their president is Darien Bohannon.

- [Amy] Yeah, Darien Bohannon.

Let's see, which one is Darien in?

You're gonna see lots of incredible Jeeps.

The Jeep club is very active in the community.

They've done a lot.

They were actually in the Monterey parade as well as the Baxter parade.

So neat to see all these.

- [Avery] I sometimes will see them out just on a nice Saturday.

- [Amy] Yeah, they'll go out in groups and you see them during the Christmas time going to many of our local restaurants, and they will leave nice tips for the things that they do and leave nice tips for the service, which I think is really great that they do that.

- [Avery] Yeah, very nice.

- [Amy] So great.

Oh, got some nice blue and green colors out here.

Really neat for Crestline to have that for families.

Okay, next we have Miss Morgan Melton.

Morgan Melton was the crowned Mini Supreme 2022 with Dynasty Dolls Holiday Explosion in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee this past January.

She also won overall prettiest face.

- [Avery] Congratulations to her.

- [Amy] Congratulations, Morgan Melton.

Okay, so next we have Norris Racing.

Let's see, racing, 95, 96.

I'm wondering here if this is, wow, look at that, 95, number 95, Michael Norris.

That's really neat.

- [Avery] It is neat.

And then Meadows Homes, where great deals happen every day.

- [Amy] I love it.

So you see in there, we got our buddies, the Meadows brothers there on the side and Donnie Meadows in the front.

There's Josh and Matt.

They've got the sleigh in the back.

- [Avery] They got Rudolph.

- [Amy] How fun.

- [Avery] Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, there he is.

- [Amy] Look at those guys.

There's a big reindeer.

Actually, I'd love to wear that.

That would keep us pretty warm next year.

- [Avery] That could keep us warm.

Meadows Homes.

- [Amy] That's really neat.

Again, the Meadows do so much for this area.

Donnie, Matt, Josh, the whole family are just incredible partners to Cookeville and the region.

- [Avery] And Hunter's Welding Repair.

- [Amy] It's decorated like, what do we have back there?

- [Avery] It looks like a wagon.

- [Amy] With metal reindeer and tree.

That's really neat.

They're a local business.

They can handle all your welding needs.

Hunter Welding.

That's really neat.

Wow, so what are those in the back?

That's all their tools there.

I think that's so great.

- [Avery] It's Santa's gifts.

- [Amy] Oh my goodness.

That is really, that's cute.

- [Avery] A little cowboy hat.

So creative, so many creative ideas.

Oh, Amy.

Cousin Eddie and the Hot Mess.

- [Amy] Here we go.

- [Avery] The Hot Mess Express.

- [Amy] Yes, the Hot Mess Express, and they're the jolliest group of folks on this side of the nuthouse, is what they say.

Wow, look at these guys.

How fun.

- [Avery] Cousin Eddie's.

- [Amy] I would venture to say that those guys might be a little bit cold.

- [Avery] But they're having a good time.

- [Amy] They are having a good time.

Oh, how fun.

That's a bunch of Uncle Eddies.

(both laughing) Those guys have the easy part of the job, right?

They get to stay inside of it.

- [Avery] They get to stay inside, what fun.

What an old camper, too.

That is awesome.

And then here we have Brotherton Freewill Baptist Church, the little country church.

Isn't this the picture of a country Christmas?

They have a country church with children that are being read to, the Christmas story, the greatest story.

They even have their Christmas tree decorated with popcorn and handmade ornaments.

Have you ever strung popcorn?

- [Amy] I have strung popcorn, I have.

And with having dogs in the house, it's not a great idea to have that on your tree.

- [Avery] No.

One year I was stringing popcorn and I was putting it on there and the cat was eating it as fast as I would put it on there.

- [Amy] That's fun.

It does make it look so pretty.

Next we have Empire Elite Athletics.

This is a brand new cheerleading, tumbling and rec sports facility here in Cookeville.

They are so excited to bring some Empire cheer to Christmas season here in Cookeville, and they hope that you'll check them out.

Again, they do cheer, tumble and stunting there at Empire Elite Athletics.

Oh, these are all of their little athletes, how sweet.

- [Group] Merry Christmas from Empire Elite Athletics!

- [Amy] That's great.

Wishing everyone a merry Christmas from Elite Athletics.

I like their purple Santa hats.

I haven't seen those before.

- [Avery] That's a great tree, too.

- [Amy] That's a really great tree.

Empire Elite Athletics.

There's a lot of new athletic facilities popping up.

We've had two new gems come to Cookeville just this year and others expanding.

So here, speaking of cheer, Prescott South Middle School Cheer.

- [Avery] Prescott South Middle School Squad is an award-winning team that cheers for football and basketball.

They hope to bring some extra Christmas cheer to you today, and we hope you cheer us on as we finish out our season at Nationals at Disney World.

We wish them all the very best.

(group cheering) - [Amy] That's neat.

(group cheering) - [Avery] Well, good luck to those folks.

They're gonna be at Nationals in Disney World.

- [Amy] That's really neat.

I would love to just get to go cheer at Disney.

How fun does that sound?

- [Avery] Or just go to Disney.

- [Amy] Yeah, or just go to Disney.

That would be great.

Next we have the UC United Soccer Club.

Look at all those little faces out there.

- [Avery] They've probably been enjoying watching the national.

- [Amy] Oh, absolutely.

- [Avery] Soccer championships that are going on.

- It's another sport that just keeps growing here at the Upper Cumberland, is our soccer.

Obviously we're really proud of all of our communities, but Monterey specifically just got all the proof funding for a soccer complex there at Monterey, so we're excited for Putnam County to have another soccer complex.

- [Avery] We have Rosewood Wedding Chapel.

Rosewood Wedding Chapel and Garden is a perfect setting for your country Christmas wedding.

- [Amy] Located in Jackson County, Rosewood.

If you go work with Glen, he's an incredible organizer for weddings, parties, ceremonies, anything that you want to do there at the Rosewood Wedding Chapel.

- [Avery] And not that far outside of Cookeville.

- [Amy] No, not at all.

It's actually where my brother McKayla got married, was at Rosewood.

It was just beautiful out here.

- [Avery] It's beautiful.

- [Amy] Okay, so next is Thunderhawk Canine.

- [Avery] Canine, yep.

- [Amy] Look at all these little furry guys.

- [Avery] They help train puppies to help Santa spread the joy to the children of Cookeville.

- [Amy] There have been so many furry friends.

I love this.

That is so cute.

Thunderhawk Canine.

Look, one of them, he's laying down.

How's sweet, little and big.

- [Avery] All sizes here.

- [Amy] There's Santa going for a ride on the back of that guy here.

How cute.

After our Thunderhawk Canine here.

- [Avery] Kona Ice showcasing their entertainment vehicle here, the neon lights, tropical scents and steel drum sound takes you to a tropical escape from the hustle and bustle of the traditional Tennessee Christmas season.

- [Amy] Kalikimaka, I think that is Hawaiian.

There's the Danes there in the front.

They have gingerbread man hold onto the back there of the Kona Ice.

And do you hear that?

What do we have next?

This is the Cookeville High School Marching Band.

Here comes a big treat.

Every good parade needs a good band, like you said earlier.

Here is the Cookeville High School Band, directed by Mr. David Talbert.

They'll be performing some Christmas classics, so let's take a listen.

(energetic band music) (audience applauding) - [Amy] Cookeville High School Marching Band, that was great.

- [Avery] They always have a tremendous turnout, don't they?

- [Amy] That's great.

- [Avery] Scott Francis.

- [Amy] Next you'll see coming up, a 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Holiday Coupe owned by Scott Francis and his family, and they too wanted to make sure they were wishing everyone a very merry Christmas.

That is beautiful, Avery.

- [Avery] Another fabulous car.

- [Amy] So pretty.

Next we have Aaron Riddick of EpiOn IT.

This is a 1959 Triumph TR3 wind up car.

Look how cute that is.

It's driven by Aaron and Blake Riddick, representing again, like I said, EpiOn IT.

The Triumph is a British sports car originally manufactured in England, and this Roadster features 100 horsepower, geez.

Originally sold for 950 pounds.

What is this, Avery?

- [Avery] This is the Greene Lawn Care and Landscaping Christmas tree.

- [Amy] Christmows tree.

They're mowing some stuff.

- [Avery] They are, a 16 foot Christmas tree that can turn on a dime and mow your yard.

- [Amy] That's very neat.

Christmow.

- [Avery] Christmow.

A little play on words.

- [Amy] Yes, look at all those bubbles.

That's really neat.

Look at the little kids having fun with the bubbles.

Six, wow, that is a big Christmas tree, Avery.

- [Avery] I love it.

He can come mow my yard.

- [Amy] Okay, next we have coming into the scene here, Prescott South Middle School Dance Team.

The PSMS Dance Team sponsored by Moe's, Clinton's Engineering, Zack The Car Guy and Center of Vision and Development is dancing and prancing down Cookeville with Christmas spirit.

We've had lots of dance teams and cheer teams tonight.

- [Avery] It's really been fun to see everybody come out and participate.

- [Amy] Look at their Christmas tree there in the back.

Up coming next is someone who actually won last year as well in one of their divisions, Acts Interiors, also sporting a country Christmas.

This vintage firetruck with callbacks to a country Cookeville Christmas.

Oh look, and inside of it they've got scenes from around Cookeville-Putnam County.

That's really neat.

Acts Interior right here next to the square.

They do everything from cabinets to carpet, how fun, hardwoods.

That is a really neat truck.

- [Avery] Another great float.

- [Amy] Look at all these.

- [Avery] They've got a car full there.

- [Amy] That is a pretty green.

- [Avery] That is pretty.

Very Christmas.

It looks like we have a really big one coming up here.

The Old Gray rocking around the Christmas tree.

Old Gray is in the Upper Cumberland, premiers live music venue with concerts that features Chris Johnson, Darryl Worley, Lita Ford and Warrant.

More shows coming in 2023.

The first one is April 29th with American Idol winner Noah Thompson, runner up HunterGirl.

Tickets go on sale March 1st, and what another really fun venue.

- [Amy] It was really fun.

I actually got to hear HunterGirl today at 94.7.

She came on and she'll be back here in the spring at Old Gray, but she was incredible to hear.

Old Gray is one of our newest venues in the Upper Cumberland, as you said, in Monterey.

They had Freedom Fest in the summer and Rocktober in October.

They're just gonna keep bringing some really great acts here.

- [Avery] That's fantastic.

- [Amy] Next we have Stover's Liquidation.

The Stover's family Christmas.

At Stover's, their customers are like family.

They truly are.

As you walk in, you can feel that.

They want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Lots of their family there walking behind them.

You can really get just about anything at Stover's.

- [Avery] Absolutely.

- [Amy] Next we have Elite Automotive Group, tow truck with Santa's sleigh and a Lamborghini guiding them in the front, as well as one to two cars there behind.

Do we have any cars?

No, we have the Cox Lumber up there that they're being towed by Elite Auto.

They're located in Sparta, and this is the first time I've seen them in a Cookeville parade.

That's great.

They drove on down 111 to join us tonight.

That is a really nice tow truck.

- [Avery] That is nice.

- [Amy] Got some friendly elves over there.

Next we have coming up the Mechanical Engineering Department at Tennessee Tech University.

Look at this, that is fun.

They said they're featuring tonight race cars from two of the student organizations, both the Baja SAE and Formula SAE.

These students are the ones who actually design and build these race cars each and every year for the competitions from all over.

They go all over the US to compete in these.

That is really neat.

The Mechanical Engineering Group at Tennessee Tech.

Look at all those.

That looks pretty fun.

They build those.

- [Avery] It's incredible.

- [Amy] That's wild to me.

It's really great.

- [Avery] It's incredible.

- [Amy] So many really great talented people coming out of Tennessee Tech.

Next we have Mid-State Motorsports.

- [Avery] Yes, side by side with trailers.

They're all provided.

Another small business here in the Upper Cumberland.

- [Amy] Four wheelers, is that a little 50 there that little guy is on?

Got some motorcycles, four wheelers at Mid-State Motorsports.

- [Avery] Lots of outdoor fun.

And we have the Girl Scout Troop 946.

Outdoor country southern Christmas there.

This is a group from Cane Creek Elementary.

Thank them for coming out tonight.

- [Amy] We are going to have some of them, I don't know if they're particularly in any specific order, but we definitely want to recognize many of these Girl Scout troops as they do so much volunteer work in our community.

This next group though is our pack six, let's see if I can read this on their truck here, Pack 651.

Cub Scout Pack 651.

It looks like, what are they cooking?

They got a nice little bonfire going on there on their truck and trailer.

That is really neat.

Gathered around in rocking chairs.

That is fun, Pack 651.

- [Avery] Lots of opportunity for our young people.

- [Amy] Look at that, they got that on the fan.

- [Avery] That's a great idea.

- [Amy] I wonder if they got some heat going on under that, too?

Keep them warm.

Look at those kids waving.

- [Avery] They don't get cold, kids don't get cold.

- [Amy] They don't get cold.

Goodness gracious, no.

My kids think it's okay to go out in shorts right now.

It looks like next we have Girl Scout Troop 945.

- [Avery] They've got a full trailer full.

- [Amy] Yes, they do.

They're all bundled up.

That's fun.

Look at all those sweet smiles.

Again, this is stuff that they will never forget.

They're gonna look back at these pictures every year, and this is a tradition that they'll talk about for so long.

How sweet.

- [Avery] And the parents on there that help lead those kiddos.

- [Amy] They do.

You really can't be in Girl Scouts or Cub Scouts without your parents being all in, too.

Did you ever sell Girl Scout cookies, Avery?

- [Avery] I bought a lot.

- [Amy] Listen, my mom always had a goal for us.

We had to be the one that sold the most amount of cookies, and she would make us do the calling and asking.

It's when you had a landline too, so I had to stand by the kitchen door and call everyone to ask if they wanted to buy cookies from our Girl Scouts.

It was the Brownies days.

- [Avery] Oh yeah.

- [Amy] Let's see, who's this next group that we have?

This might be our Girl Scout Troop 651?

That is Troop 946.

That's really sweet, 946.

They're actually as well, they're from Cane Creek Elementary.

- [Avery] This is Boy Scout Pack 170.

- [Amy] Joining us from Algood, it says there on the side of the trailer.

I bet this isn't that cold for them, though.

They have to go on some camping trips in the cold weather.

- [Avery] I think so.

Start fires and tie knots.

- [Amy] Look at all of them.

There's John Bell.

He is our President and CEO of the Cookeville Regional Medical Foundation, a big partner here in the Upper Cumberland region, giving him a big shout out there and a wave.

Got another Boy Scouts group here, and I believe this might be Group 108.

All these boys are from Cookeville.

They don't even have jackets on.

See, they don't get cold.

They do not get cold, how fun.

That's Boy Scout Troop 108 from here in Cookeville.

- [Avery] Cub Scout Pack 651.

- [Amy] If you look there on their trailer, they too have the Cookeville Country Christmas theme.

You can see the Coca-Cola sign that's painted and the downtown, as well as many of the cityscape ornaments and the Crane City sign.

That's really neat that they pulled all aspects in.

You see the Bobby Q's sign on the side of their truck.

- [Avery] All those iconic places.

- [Amy] They did a good job.

That's Cub Scout Pack 156.

Next we have Bristol Ford and Lainey Burgess.

Bristol is the 2022 American United Junior Teen Volunteer.

She is 12 years old and she's the 12 year old daughter of Josh and Erica Ford.

We have the 2022 Miss Christmas Angel, Lainey Burgess, who is eight years old and the daughter of Josh and Paris Burgess.

That is really neat.

- [Avery] And then we have our famous WCTE car.

- [Amy] Yes, there it is.

- [Avery] 44 years of history here in the Upper Cumberland, serving people throughout Central Tennessee and Middle Tennessee for all PBS member stations, broadcasting lots of your favorite shows as you saw on the car.

- [Amy] Okay, now who is this?

Who do we have?

So that was Bill Reese crossing leading Santa.

Look out, everyone.

I think we see the man in red, his red suit.

Here is Santa and Mrs. Claus.

They are spreading some holiday cheer.

Look at all those smiles on the faces.

There's many kids around them smiling big.

Do you think they're enjoying this warmer weather compared to what they're used to at the North Pole?

- [Avery] You know, he's probably got his spring outfit on under there.

- [Amy] This is like vacation for them.

- [Avery] It's a busy time of year for Santa, so I'm glad he could stop by for a minute.

- [Amy] That is so neat.

I hope my kids are watching.

They know that Santa's really close.

- [Avery] That's right, he's in town.

- [Amy] Better be good.

Next we have the Putnam County Fair and Fairest of the Fair Queens.

Look how absolutely stunning they are.

Fairest of the Fair Addison Bray is in there with Teen Miss Meela Walker, Princess Annabella Stevens, Little Miss Kessie Kean, is that Casey Kean?

Mini Miss Jovi Steakley, Tiny Miss Azaria Smith and Miss Lindsay Guy, Miss Breckyn Cross, Miss Elite Jess Keen and Miss Elite Samantha Garrett.

Some beautiful, beautiful ladies.

Next we have the Crest Lawn Funeral Home.

This vintage horse drawn hearse is Amish built.

That is absolutely beautiful.

Crest Lawn and its sister funeral homes in the Upper Cumberland use this for services often.

They've been part of our parade for so many years and we really appreciate Crest Lawn for everything that they do for our community.

That really is beautiful.

- [Avery] And the Saddle Club.

Lots of horses and their riders.

- [Amy] Those are some beautiful, look at that carriage.

Wow.

- [Avery] That is beautiful.

Look at the mules, white mules.

They don't even seem to be spooked about the noise.

- [Amy] Not at all.

- [Avery] They're beautiful.

- [Amy] Very beautiful.

- [Avery] And right behind them, we've got a very noisy.

- [Amy] Noisy group.

- [Avery] But appreciated.

Emergency Management Services and the Fire Department.

Many vehicles from the Putnam County EMS, Fire Department.

The folks are hard at work to keep all of us safe, and they serve the public whenever called upon to help.

Huge thanks to them for all their hard work to help our entire community.

- [Amy] Those are really beautiful fire trucks.

You know, I think the fire trucks might have been always one of my favorite things.

They're just so shiny and pretty.

That is one of our older fire trucks here in Putnam County too.

It's incredible that they've kept it in the same shape.

Next we have Putnam Rescue coming up.

What's interesting is that is Matt Dexter from Tennessee Tech driving the Putnam County Rescue.

That's pretty fun.

- [Avery] Multitasking.

- [Amy] That is very neat.

- [Avery] People chip in where they can in Cookeville.

- [Amy] That is so fun.

Cookeville Fire Department.

- Beautiful City of Cookeville Fire Department truck.

Amy, what a fun night tonight for this 55th Annual Cookeville Christmas Parade.

I'm Avery Hutchins, and thank you for joining us tonight.

- And I'm Amy New, and this was just such an incredible time to be with you all tonight.

- And we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year from all of us.

- Yes, Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

(gentle music) (bright music) - [Announcer] WCTE's coverage of the Cookeville-Putnam County Christmas Parade is brought to you by Gunnels Florist, Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union, the Livingston-Overton County Chamber of Commerce, Putnam County, and by Isha.

- [Announcer] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.