Putting the dates in one place since I had to piece them together from three different spots.
Illuminate is Saturday, Nov 28, 3 to 7 p.m. at Rogers Plaza downtown, with the tree lighting. It's the same day as Small Business Saturday, so downtown is going to be a zoo. Mistletoe Madness is Dec 12. The details I found are here: Illuminate - Conway Christmas
The Christmas parade is where I'm stuck. I've looked at the usual places and can't find a date anywhere. Somebody at church told me Dec 5, but when I asked where they heard it, the answer was "I think somebody posted it." That's not a source. If you've seen it written down by the city or whoever organizes it, please point me to it. If it's only a rumor, I'd like to know that too, so I'm not planning a whole Saturday around a guess.
A few things I'm wondering about:
**Parking.** If you've done this before, where do you park? Last time I tried to get close to the plaza I circled for 20 minutes and ended up walking about six blocks anyway, so I'd rather skip the circling this year. Does anyone know if the lots near the courthouse or the churches downtown open up for events like this, or is that wishful thinking?
**Kids.** For those with little ones, what actually helps? Wagon or stroller, where to meet up when somebody wanders off, where the bathrooms are. I'd also like to hear if the lighting itself is worth the wait or if the kids are bored by 4:15 and just want a hot chocolate.
**Weather.** Yes, I'm the weather guy, and no, I won't apologize. Late November in Conway can be 72 and muggy, or 34 with a wet wind coming off the river bottoms, sometimes in the same week. Nobody can tell me which it'll be this far out, and anyone who says they can is selling something. Just plan to dress in layers. A kid who is cold at 5:30 is a kid who is miserable at 5:31.
I'll make it downtown if the deer season treats me right and I'm out of the woods by lunch. Hoping to spend some money at the small shops while I'm at it, since that's supposedly the point of the day.