An 80-year-old fire truck is one of the main attractions in this year's parade. Santa Claus himself will ride on the antique truck.
Without the Christmas parade, Santa rode in the Veterans Day parade last year. Many spectators say it just was not the same.
In years' past, the city and downtown merchants sponsored the parade. The city took over for two years, thinking that civic groups would step up to the plate. That did not happen last year, but the Rotary Club came to the rescue this year.
"Last year, there was a lot of disappointment," says the chairman of the parade committee, Greg Gunn. "[This year,] there's more excitement because we didn't have a parade last year."
This year, Gunn had to start parade preparations almost from scratch, collecting permits, setting up sponsors and lining up entertainment.
He says the experience was worth it to have Santa back in Fayetteville.
The parade starts at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cumberland County Courthouse. The route goes up Person Street, ending at the Amtrak station downtown.
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