HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Every year, small crowds of local community members have gathered in LaFayette to see a floats, tractors and Santa go by in the parade to ring in the holiday season.
While people might assume this growing event is organized by government officials or an official committee, the true face behind LaFayette’s parade is local hair stylist who loves her town.
Kayla Rae Hancock has been a hair stylist for 13 years and is the proud owner of The Beauty Salon LLC in Hopkinsville. Hancock also took it upon herself five years ago when she decided to use her own means to bring some Christmas spirit to her city with a small tree in the park.
“You have to drive past the park when you come into town and it was always so dark especially during Christmas time, so I asked around the town to see if I could put up a Christmas tree in the park and they said yes,” said Hancock. “So, I did with a very small, real 6-foot Christmas tree. It was a puny little thing, but man it made a big impression and the whole town loved it.”
People in town credited Hancock for bringing some holiday spirit into their homes since the tree was visible from inside surrounding houses. So next year, she decided to go bigger.
“We got a 14-foot tree and I decided we we’re going to have Christmas in the park…I passed out hot chocolate, cookies and popcorn. The small little town showed up and showed out. They loved it,” said Hancock. Along with the snacks, people in the community were also encouraged to sign their names on ornaments to decorate the tree with.
In the third year, along with help from her husband and brother-in-law, she decided to launch the Christmas parade. Even though it’s a small town, a good group of people participated and came out to support. “It warmed my heart so much that people actually would come out to watch it,” Hancock said.
Last year, unexpected weather put a bit of a damper on the festivities, but she is confident that this year will be a lot of fun. The hope is that they will continue to grow and attract people from other cities to attend.
This year the parade will be on Nov. 25 at 3:00 p.m. in downtown LaFayette. Hot chocolate and popcorn will be available after the event, and it’s rumored Santa and the Grinch will make an appearance. Updates on the parade can be found on the City of LaFayette Facebook page.