The organizers of The Great Lisbon FARMERS FEED THE HUNGRY Christmas Parade are pleased to announce that HORSES will once again be part of the annual Lisbon Christmas Parade, scheduled for Saturday, December 10, 2016. In 2015, organizers were disappointed to have to cancel, due to logistical reasons, the annual Lisbon Christmas Horse Parade. However, our local ag community – dedicated to the cause of raising money for the local food banks and fire department – rallied around a NEW parade, this one featuring decorated tractors and dubbed The Great Lisbon FARMERS FEED THE HUNGRY Christmas Parade. The new parade raised almost the same amount of money as the horse parade,: over $9,000, due to a long list of community supporters and sponsors (see below). Not bad for a last minute event! Organizers have now merged the two very successful parades; the 2016 parade will feature horses AND tractors! Stay tuned for more details soon! The Howard County Farm Bureau When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. When one door closes, another door opens. And that proved true with the 2015 Lisbon Christmas Parade. As a result of the canceled horse parade, neighboring farmers embraced the substitute tractor parade, and all agreed that the partnership greatly enhanced the parade’s relationship with the community. For the first time the Christmas Vendor Village was “the place to be” after the parade, with activities centered around the Manor Hill Beer Garden and the great bonfire – and more vendors than ever before. The Lisbon Fire Department had the largest post-parade turn- out for its chicken dinner. The parade organizers are pleased to announce that the parade will now operate under the umbrella of The Howard County Farm Bureau! The goals of the parade committee and the mission of the Howard County Farm Bureau dovetail nicely: to promote and perpetuate western Howard County agriculture – including horses! Farm Bureau has also had a long tradition of supporting programs to help feed the hungry, including supporting the parade’s new beneficiary, the Maryland chapter of Farmers & Hunters Feed the Hungry. This program helps to cover the costs of processing game meat that is donated by farmers and hunters for our food banks. Check Presentations – Christmas in May Since its debut, no matter its incarnation, the Lisbon Christmas Parade has raised over $40,000 for programs to help alleviate want in our community. On Thursday, May 19, 2016, The Great Lisbon FARMERS FEED THE HUNGRY Christmas Parade Committee presented donation checks to the Howard County and Carroll County Food Banks, the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Department and the Maryland chapter of Farmers & Hunters Feed the Hungry. $2,500 was presented to each food bank, while $1,500 was presented LVFD and FHFH. According to Edward Leister for the Carroll County Food Bank (Carroll County Food Sunday), the Lisbon Christmas Parade donation has consistently been the second largest donation received each year since the parade began. Many thanks to our 2015 Sponsors! We could not have done it without you!
1 Comment
Alice SEttle-Raskin
7/21/2016 02:05:42 pm
This is wonderful news!
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AuthorAlice Settle-Raskin Archives
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