Michael Tunis from the City of Lawton stopped by the KLAW101 studios on Wednesday to talk about upcoming Holiday In The Park events at Elmer Thomas Park in Lawton. Events start this Saturday, with the 8th

California's Water Needs Expected To Jump 25% In Next 40 Years
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annual Fishing for Food event kicking off the holiday festivities. The event, a fundraiser for the Lawton Community Food Bank, has raised more than 5,000 lbs of food since its inception in 2010, and there is great weather on tap for this year's event.

Lake Helen has been stocked with plenty of trout, and they should be biting as hooks hit the water starting at 7am. The event is free, as is the cookout afterwards and there will also be a raffle, with each participant receiving a raffle ticket for each item of non-perishable food they

photo courtesy of Lawton Food Bank
photo courtesy of Lawton Food Bank
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donate. You can also get raffle tickets for $1 each. Following the fishing contest, there will be a cook-out, face-painting and bouncie houses for the kids, food trucks and vendors, and it all culminates in the Lawton Christmas Parade, which is capped off by the lighting of the Christmas Tree by Lawton Mayor Fred Fitch.

On Friday the Lawton Christmas Parade organizer, Melissa Kukurich, also stopped by the studios to tell us all about the parade, and what goes on behind the scenes. This year's theme is "Christmas Toys", and the organizing staff is looking forward to one of the biggest parades in Lawton's history.

Santa Claus
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Their will be a new route this year, taking the parade down up Second Street to Ferris Ave, and then to the 3rd Street entrance of Elmer Thomas Park and through the park. Judging begins at 4pm, with entries not participating in judging requested to be in their spot in line on "C" Avenue by no later than 5pm.

The parade starts at 6pm, and will culminate in the lighting of the "dancing" Christmas tree. The parade will include more than 70 floats and groups, including high marching school bands, dogs with their owners and horse riding clubs, and of course, the last in line will be the jolly old St. Nick.

The Holiday decorations in the park will continue lighting the season through Dec. 31. About 14,000 people stop by the park to see the lights every year, and this year is expected to increase with the addition of the 'dancing' Christmas Tree.

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