parade SCHEDULE

Durham's Holiday Parade begins at 4 p.m. Dec. 5 on the corner of Jackie Robinson and Blackwell streets. The tree lighting will take place at 5:30 p.m. after the parade in CCB Plaza, 201 Corcoran St. Children will be able to meet with Santa from 5:45 to 7 p.m. in CCB Plaza.

3 to 4 p.m. Pre-parade drum circle (CCB Plaza)

4 to 5 p.m. Parade

5 to 5:30 p.m. Cool John Ferguson

5:45 to 7 p.m. Time with Santa

5:55 p.m. Durham Children's Choir

6:25 p.m. Frontline (World Overcomers Christian Church)

By Cliff Bellamy

cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744

DURHAM -- The history of the blues and downtown Durham are closely related. A historical marker on Fayetteville Street recalls how blues musicians like Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Gary Davis played in Hayti and in the tobacco warehouse district.

How fitting, then, that the parade marshals for this year's Annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting Celebration are members of that blues community -- guitarists and vocalists Cool John Ferguson and John Dee Holeman.

Holeman and Ferguson will be performing on a parade float, said Cynthia Booth, public affairs specialist for Durham Parks and Recreation. Ferguson will perform after the parade, from 5 to 5:30 Dec. 5 in CCB Plaza.

Holeman was born in Orange County but moved to Durham in the 1950s, and has direct connections to those days when blues artists played in the warehouse district. He used to play at the City News Stand, a news stand and sandwich shop that had a band. Holeman celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this year.

Ferguson was born in 1953 on Saint Helena Island off of South Carolina. He has had a long association with his music teacher Earl Davis, and has played jazz, rhythm and blues, funk and other styles. Besides guitar, he also plays bass and other instruments.

Both musicians frequently perform during the summer Warehouse Blues Series.

About 68 organizations and bands are expected to participate in this year's parade. Bands from Hillside, Southern, Riverside and Northern high schools, and Lowes Grove Middle School will be in the parade. The Durham School of the Arts Pipe Band and the North Carolina Central University Marching Band also will perform.

Below are more details about the parade and tree-lighting:

Parade Route: The parade begins at Jackie Robinson and Blackwell streets, and will travel up Blackwell across Pettigrew, continue north past CCB Plaza onto Foster Street, and end on the corner of Foster and Geer streets.

Parking: During the parade, parking will be prohibited on these streets: Blackwell Street between Lakewood Avenue and Pettigrew Street, Ramseur Street between Corcoran and Mangum Streets, Mangum Street between Ramseur and Morgan Streets, Morgan Street between Mangum and Foster Streets, Foster Street between Morgan and Geer Streets.

Street closings: The parade staging will begin at 2:30 p.m. and the streets surrounding the staging area will be closed.

Free shuttle service: Durham Parks and Recreation will provide free shuttle service back to the starting point of the parade at Blackwell and Jackie Robinson Streets. The shuttle pick-up location is at the corner of Corporation Streets and Morris Streets. The shuttle will run every 15 to 20 minutes from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.