TV covers Parade Gathering
Members of the massive volunteer team gathered in advance of the parade last Saturday as the sun was setting and a little while before WBKO came in to recognize the thousands of dollars in the new toys they would be distributing at the parade last weekend.
Bowling Green television station WBKO was on hand Saturday as County Judge-Executive Luke King said over thirty volunteers turned up to distribute a trailer load of brand-new toys, to children along the parade route. He said high school students from the Civics Club joined other volunteers for the second-annual toy distribution during the Burkesville Christmas Parade. That came just weeks after handing out over $5,000 in new toys during the Marrowbone Christmas Parade.
“This is one of the most exciting, but nerve-racking community projects we do. The thought of having $40,000 worth of new toys to give away is wonderful, but the planning leading up to each parade is extreme. It’s not something that happens by luck. It takes coordination, lots of warm winter coats, and dozens of energetic volunteers,” said King. “Since this is our second year for this distribution, I’m hoping that now our community has proof that this distribution can continue for many years to come. We’ve built the system; let’s just keep using it! I understand why people are hesitant to try new things, especially a huge undertaking like this, but big calculated risks can sometimes earn big returns and rewards. This is a perfect example of that. Kids in our community have tens of thousands of dollars of toys this year and it didn’t negatively affect our local budget,” added Judge King.
Toys were secured by the Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency in Russell County. The items were given to the Cumberland County Fiscal Court. Planning for this event started shortly after the Christmas parade in 2024. Due to the arrival time of toys in 2024, only the Burkesville Christmas Parade served as a distribution opportunity last year. However, this year, both Burkesville and Marrowbone Parades benefited from the toy inventory.
He added that the Cumberland County Team plans to make trips in the upcoming days to share some of the remaining toys with the students at Lake Cumberland Head Start, Little Panthers Daycare, and kids along the route of the county’s final holiday parade (the Hegira Christmas Parade) next Sunday.
King said they hope to secure even more toys in the future and add the Burkesville Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony to the list of events for distribution.
