It is unclear when the first Christmas parade was held in Stanly County. The parade held on Nov. 25, 1957, however, was considered the largest up until that time. According to an article in the Dec. 3, 1957 Stanly News & Press, Santa’s visit from the North Pole was made possible by downtown merchant Stanly Hardware. While in town Santa met with about 200 children and then led the parade as shown in the photo. It was estimated that as many as 20,000 people were along the parade route that ran from Montgomery Avenue along Second Street to South Street. It then turned on South Street to First Street and then ran along First Street all the way to Wilson Street. At the Main Street intersections it was noted there were crowds eight to 10 deep. Parking in the area of downtown had been filled up nearly two hours prior to the parade. The parade, which was seen as the official start of the Christmas shopping season, included many floats from clubs, churches, local industries and businesses. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}