Christmas Parade Update 11/21

Tulsans are excited that after years without, there will be a Tulsa Christmas Parade this year at the new Tulsa Hills shopping center in Southwest Tulsa.  Significant sponsors are joining, a Grand Marshall has been selected and with the help of television and radio news and talk shows, the word is getting around – a Christmas Parade will be held this year in Tulsa.

The organizing group, Tulsa Christmas Parade LLC, has announced major media including Mix96 and the Whistler Media Group are joining the parade. 

KRAV-FM Mix96 is the metro area’s Christmas Music Station.  The Whistler Media Group provides outdoor billboards and interactive media reaching hundreds of thousands of customers each day. 

Oklahoma Wesleyan University has been selected as the premier sponsor of the Tulsa Christmas Parade and Dr. Everett Piper, President, will serve as the Grand Marshall. Dr. Piper is the fifth President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University.  He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Spring Arbor University, an M.A. in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Michigan State University.

Dr. Piper said, “I am an educator and I obviously believe in the power of ideas and I think any good teacher has to agree that the idea of Christmas: of joy to the world, of glory to God in the highest, of peace on earth and good will toward men, and of Emanuel - God with us, are ideas whose power we ignore and disparage to our culture's and country's detriment.  Therefore, as the president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University I eagerly join with all those in Tulsa who want to celebrate the history, tradition and reality of Christ's Mass."

More on Dr. Piper’s views may be found online.  Click on the links for entries on Christmas and Holiday.

Previously announced sponsors of the Tulsa Christmas Parade include TulsaToday.com, Red Dog Construction, Eddie Huff Insurance, W.H.Y. Insurance Agency LLC, Posh Boutique, DML Motors, Tulsa Wealth Advisers/Raymond James, and MyChristianTeaching.com.

Interestingly, the daily newspaper, long a sponsor of the downtown Holiday Parade, has covered the event, but buried the story on page 13, November 2 and has not covered a Tulsa Christmas Parade announcement since.

This year’s named sponsor of the “Holiday Parade of Lights” downtown is a new, small, Liberal print publication called "This Land Press."  Links will not be provided to their web site because a link provided by their reporter to this writer attempted to load twenty “Trojan” computer viruses in 88 seconds.  Even more; when immediately notified of the dangerous viruses, This Land Press’ reporter said the publisher was aware of the problem and they were working on it.  The Internet service standard utilized by professionals is to immediately remove viruses or take the site down rather than continuing to expose an unsuspecting public.

This Land Press Publisher Vincent LoVoi most recently published a letter begging U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe to ride in the downtown Holiday Parade of Lights.  This plea follows the daily newspaper’s year long effort to pull the popular national Conservative leader into the local debate.

In point of fact, Senator Inhofe did not organize or lead local protests in 2009 or 2010 against the removal of “Christmas” from the title of the downtown parade.  Tulsa citizens protested.  Senator Inhofe did not contact any member of Tulsa Christmas Parade LLC to encourage a separate parade nor has he responded to an invitation to ride his horse or otherwise attend or in any way appear the Tulsa Christmas Parade.  Senator Inhofe, as a matter of principle, decided not to ride in the downtown 2010 Holiday Parade of Lights.  

Where Senator Inhofe parades is up to him, but at last count there are five area parades in Northeast Oklahoma December 10 and Senator Inhofe represents the entire State of Oklahoma.  Tulsa Christmas Parade organizers hope he will join the only Christmas Parade in Tulsa, but note their appreciation for his long principled public service regardless.

National media are following the Tulsa Christmas Parade and the American Family Association Radio Network has recently interviewed organizers.  Last year’s coverage of the “Holiday” vs. “Christmas” name controversy was covered by FOX News, The New York Times, Conan O’Brien, and Jon Stewart, but Tulsa Christmas Parade organizers are focused locally.

A short time still remains for float entries to join the Tulsa Christmas Parade December 10, at Tulsa Hills.  Applications and more information are available by calling 918.583.2345.  

Click here for the previous story announcing the Tulsa Christmas Parade.