West Chester Christmas Parade
jazz mavericks & tri-M
Friday, December 6, 2024
Please read all of the information on this page completely.
In order to participate in this parade experience together successfully and safely, careful consideration of all of the following information must be given.
SAFETY/PERMISSION
We will be using a 24' flatbed truck with stakes (fencing) as our parade float. This truck will be driven by Mr. Townsend and insured and paid for by PALCS. The music equipment will be powered by a gas generator.
PALCS will also be providing door magnets with the school logo and 15' banners to hang on either side of the truck. Tri-M member volunteers will decorate the truck with Christmas and other holiday decorations prior to the parade. Members of Tri-M are also invited to walk the parade route on either side of the truck in escort, waving to the crowd, etc.
All members of Jazz Mavericks and their parents, along with any Tri-M members who plan to walk the parade route, should fill out the Field Trip Permission Form below in its entirety. Tri-M students who are decorating the float but not planning on walking the parade do not have to fill out the field trip permission form.
Mr. West, Mr. Townsend, and Mrs. Vogel (PALCS music teacher) will be the PALCS staff on-site during this event.
The parade will be held rain or shine, including light snowfall. The parade will only be canceled in the case of continuous thunderstorms or heavy snow.
For students with prescription medications, please see Other Important Information below before filling out the field trip permission form.
iTINERARY & DETAILS
Other Important information
Emergency Contact
By filling out the Field Trip Permission Form, Mr. West and Mr. Townsend will have all parent emergency contact information. In the event of a medical emergency, we will call 911 and immediately notify parents.
Both parents and students can reach Mr. West at any time during the event by text or voice on his Google Voice number: 484-619-3881. Some of the environments we will be in during the day will be loud and busy, so please allow time for a response.
Student Medications
Due to the brief nature of this event, please have students take any prescription medications before or afterwards. If a medication is needed to be taken during the day, please arrange for a time for you to meet your student either at CPFA or at the parade staging area to administer the medication. The school nurse will not be present at this event, and Mr. West will not be serving as a Designated Volunteer to monitor the medication.
Dress Code for Jazz Band and Tri-M Walkers
Since this is an outdoor event, please dress for the weather and wear good walking shoes. However, do your best to wear some PALCS or CPFA attire if possible, some "ugly sweaters", and definitely wear some festive headgear! Santa hats, reindeer antlers, light-up holiday necklaces, etc. are encouraged. Jazz band members can even decorate your instruments if you want, as long as it doesn't interfere with performance. We will be figuring out how to put up the CPFA canopy tent on the truck to keep the electronics covered in case of rain.
Parking & Carpooling
STUDENT DRIVERS: Tri-M students escorting the float during the parade should plan to arrive at CPFA no later than 5:00 PM to walk from CPFA to the parade staging area. Plan ahead for travel delays!
We recommend that parents communicate directly with one another if your student is going to carpool with another student driver. PALCS/CPFA can not be held liable for any student conduct or traffic acccidents that occur as a result of students carpooling together.
PARENT OBSERVERS: The parade organizers suggest the following public parking lots:
Borough parking garage at Chestnut & Walnut Streets (close to the post office)
Borough parking garage at High Street & Market Street (closest to the courthouse TV area)
Borough garage at New & Market Streets (SEPTA bus terminal - closest to the staging area)
Any West Chester University lot - see THIS MAP and click on "Parking"
❗ IMPORTANT: WEST CHESTER WILL CLOSE STREETS FOR THE PARADE BEGINNING AT 4:30 PM. ONLY SOME CROSS STREETS AND ALLEYS WILL ALLOW ACCESS INSIDE THE PARADE ZONE UNTIL ITS CONCLUSION ❗
Float Decorating & Service Hours
Tri-M students who are volunteering to decorate the float should arrive at CPFA at 11 AM and plan to be there until 1:30 PM. Bring a bag lunch with you. You will receive 2.5 service hours for Tri-M. Please bring your own decorations and supplies (tape, ties, etc.) to decorate the float. You can get some good decorations at The Christmas Shoppe in Downingtown, Dollar General, Five Below, etc. We should be able to hang Christmas lights on the truck and power them on the generator!
Tri-M students who walk with the float as escorts in the parade will receive an additional 2 hours of service time for Tri-M. If a Tri-M member is not decorating the float but plans to walk as an escort, they should report to CPFA no later than 5:00 PM to park and walk with the jazz band members to the parade staging area. Plan for travel delays!
Meals
We will have a pizza party for all participants in the Student Kitchen at 3:00 PM. If you have dietary restrictions or do not want to eat pizza, please bring your own meal for this break.
Tri-M members are welcome to stay after decorating or arrive early for escort duty to join in the fun!
Parade Conclusion & Dismissal
The West Chester Christmas Parade brings approximately 10,000 people to the downtown area. When we return to the staging area for the parade on West Market Street, jazz band members will remain on the truck and travel with Mr. Townsend back to CPFA. Because of parade traffic, this may take a half-hour or more to get from West Market to Carter Drive.
Mr. West will disembark from the truck along with jazz band students at the staging area and will walk with all students from West Market Street to CPFA via the WCU campus.
Once the truck arrives at CPFA, we will need help unloading the band equipment and de-decorating the truck before dismissal.
🦌No reindeer were harmed in the making of this webpage.