December 2, 2014 - Enjoy a busy weekend of holiday parades - and, with them, anticipate some temporary street closures and no-parking zones as well.
The annual WIVK Christmas Parade in downtown Knoxville on Friday evening, Dec. 5, features 100 units - marching bands, decorated floats, dancers, rising country singer Katie Armiger as parade grand marshal and, of course, Santa Claus.
The parade steps off at 6:45 p.m. at Howard Baker Jr. Avenue and will head up Church Avenue to Gay Street to Jackson Avenue and on to Patton Street.
Event organizers recommend allowing plenty of time to get parked and in place for the parade or for the "Sister Act" performance the same evening at the Tennessee Theatre. The most convenient parking for early arrivers is at the State Street, Locust Street, Market Square or Dwight Kessel garages downtown.
Note these closures:
* The eastbound lane of Howard Baker between Hill Avenue and Hall of Fame Drive will be closed from 5-8 p.m. Friday.
* Roads will be closed along the parade route, starting at 6:45 p.m. Friday, including Gay Street between Cumberland and Depot avenues. Streets are expected to reopen at 8:20 p.m.
* There will be a temporary no-parking zone on Gay Street between Jackson and Cumberland avenues, starting at 5 p.m. Friday. This includes the 100 block of Gay Street.
WIVK Christmas Parade sponsors are WIVK, Advanced Office Systems and WVLT-TV Channel 8.
Meanwhile, three holiday events on Saturday, Dec. 6, also will prompt some temporary street closures:
* Farmers' Holiday Market - Union Avenue will be closed between Walnut and Gay streets, and Market Street will be closed between Clinch and Union avenues, from 9:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Temporary no-parking zones start at 7 a.m.)
* Rocky Hill Christmas Parade - The parade steps off at 6 p.m. Temporary rolling closures will follow along the route: South on Morrell Road to Northshore Drive, then Northshore Drive to Rocky Hill Baptist Church.
* Fountain City Christmas Parade - The Fountain City parade steps off at 10 a.m. Anticipate rolling closures along the route: From the intersection of Tazewell Pike to Broadway, north on Broadway to Gresham Road, then Gresham Road to Central Baptist Church of Fountain City.