Grammy Award winning artist Kelly Clarkson announced as Grand Marshal for Dec. 3 parade
Officials from Piedmont Natural Gas, joined by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, announced today that Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt will benefit from some of the proceeds from this year’s 63rd annual Piedmont Natural Gas Nashville Christmas Parade presented by Tootsie’s.
Event proceeds will go toward Children’s Hospital’s Growing to New Heights Campaign, which supports the hospital’s upcoming four-floor expansion.
Santa Claus also joined the event to deliver the news that Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson will serve as Grand Marshal for the parade.
“The Piedmont Natural Gas Christmas Parade has brought joy to children and their families for decades. Now, the event will touch even more lives by benefiting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt,” said the hospital’s CEO, Luke Gregory. “Community partners like Piedmont enable our hospital to provide world-class services for children from across Tennessee and around the country. We are grateful to Piedmont, Tootsie’s and all of the parade’s other sponsors for their support, which helps further our mission as a place of hope and healing.
“We are also excited that Kelly Clarkson will serve as the parade’s Grand Marshal. She is a great friend to Children’s Hospital and a true champion for child health.”
The parade kicks off the holiday season in downtown Nashville on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 9 a.m.
“When someone thinks of the joy of the Christmas holiday season, children clearly come to mind,” said Stephen Francescon, community relations manager for Piedmont Natural Gas. “No one does more great work for the young people of Nashville and the surrounding region than Children’s Hospital. Piedmont is excited that the hospital will join us in a partnership to receive some of the proceeds of our annual Nashville Christmas Parade.”
This year’s parade will again use the new route that began in 2015. Participants will start at the intersection of 8th Avenue and Broadway, heading east down Broadway to Second Avenue North, crossing over the Cumberland River and ending at the base of the Woodland Street Bridge. The Parade will again be televised live by NEWS 2, WKRN-TV in Nashville. The 2016 parade theme is “The Musical Mile” to honor the approximate length of the parade route.
“Piedmont Natural Gas is thrilled to have Kelly Clarkson, the nation’s first American Idol, to be our Nashville Christmas Parade Grand Marshal this year,” said Francescon. “Our parade is one of Nashville’s favorite holiday traditions. We are working hard to make this year’s event our best one ever, and having an artist with Kelly’s talent and career achievements as our Grand Marshal only adds to the excitement.”
Clarkson has been an avid supporter of Children’s Hospital since moving to Nashville, and has visited several times with pediatric patients and families around Christmastime.
“I love our city of Nashville and couldn’t be more proud to be the Grand Marshal for this year’s Christmas Parade,” Clarkson said. “See y’all there!”
In addition to some of the proceeds benefiting Children’s Hospital, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Share the Warmth program, Piedmont’s energy assistance program that helps local low-income families pay their energy bills at any point during the year, regardless of their energy source.
Along with WKRN-TV live coverage, the Piedmont Natural Gas Nashville Christmas Parade will be available for broadcast on TV stations and other outlets across the country for airing Dec. 10 until the end of January 2017, through Timeless Syndication.
To stay up to date on parade happenings and announcements, visit the Nashville Christmas Parade Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nashvillechristmasparade or website at www.nashvillechristmasparade.com.