CRESTVIEW — Main Street Crestview Association members believe this year’s Dec. 5 Christmas parade drew more attendees than ever before.

“Oh my gosh, there’s so many people here,” Coney Island Hotdogs owner Julia Phillips said, watching from in front of her landmark restaurant. “I think there’s a lot more people out than ever before. It’s such a beautiful, clear night for it.”

Crestview police estimated more than 10,000 people attended the parade.

Even before Mayor David Cadle, City Clerk Betsy Roy and the city councilmen flipped the switch lighting the city’s Christmas tree, parking around the central business district was at a premium, with families parking in adjacent neighborhoods and across U.S. Highway 90 and State Road 85.

FAMILY TIME

J.R. Reid and his new bride of less than a month, Alissya, joined his siblings and parents as they claimed a prime spot to observe both the Christmas tree lighting and the parade.

“We haven’t been married a month yet,” Reid said, hugging his wife close. “It’s our first cold Christmas together.”

Lilly McClean stood eagerly on the bottom rung of a barricade to get a front row spot to catch candy tossed by marchers. She had already made her list for Santa.

“I want time on my phone,” she said, hoping to add minutes to her cellphone plan. “And a Barbie doll.”

Bonnie and Gary White waited patiently in camp chairs, their 2-year-old granddaughter, Aralynn Callens, between them, each with a warm blanket over their laps to ward off the chilly night air.

“She’s been waiting for this all day,” Bonnie White said.

With plastic grocery bags at the read, Ayden Wharton, 4, joined his friends Marcell Livingston, 9, Trevor Peatty, 8, and Thomas Long, 7. His wish list was fresh on his mind.

“I want a bike, a gold necklace and a watch,” he said.

SCHOOLS, SCOUTS AND BUSINESSES

Marching units included bands from Crestview High  School, Baker School, Davidson and Shoal River Middle Schools, and Rocky Bayou Christian School, and the Baker School chorus.

Businesses, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and martial arts and cheer studios marched, performed routines and did back flips up Main Street.

This year’s parade theme, “Christmas at the Movies,” was in evidence on many of the floats. The Crestview City Council waved from a mobile drive-in picture show, with “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” projected on a screen on the float.

The Grinch showed on many other floats, including a festively lit cage on the Crestview Police Department’s float. At least two floats featured scenes from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” with the First Presbyterian Church’s version complete with purposely garish artificial trees, Snoopy’s over-decorated dog house, and Vince Guaraldi’s familiar soundtrack playing music from the 50-year-old TV special.

Float and window display winners will be announced by Monday, with awards distributed at a City Council meeting in January.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Christmas parade draws record crowd (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

CRESTVIEW — Like many households, Baker resident Renee Wiley has Christmas presents to wrap and distribute, and holiday meals to plan.

However, Wiley will provide her gifts to more than 70 local families. (Fortunately, more than 1,000 people will help her accomplish the task.)

The U.S. Navy veteran said she returned to her native Okaloosa County, settled in Baker, and saw a need to help those less fortunate in the area.

So last November, she established Christmas Needs, a group that rapidly morphed into Giving Hands in Crestview.

Then, right after Christmas 2014, Christmas Angels in Crestview formed.

'IT'S FREECYCLING'

Giving Hands, which has 1,011 Facebook fans, links people with goods or services and those who need them.

"It's people helping people," Wiley said. "It's locals helping each other. Like if someone gets a new bedroom suite and they don't want to bother getting rid of the old one, they join the group and give it to someone who needs it."

It's "freecycling," Wiley said — an opportunity for those with serviceable goods or gently worn clothing to make them available for those who can't afford them.

"If they can't give money or a physical item, they help by giving advice," such as professional counseling on financial matters, Wiley said.

The group also consolidates information about public support resources, such as food banks and cold weather shelters, for people in need.

"If there's something we can't provide in (Giving) Hands, we recommend Sharing and Caring and other organizations," Wiley said.

'THAT'S MY BABY'

Christmas Angels in Crestview, a community outreach that provides gifts — and, in some cases, Christmas dinners — for the needy, was born Dec. 26, when Wiley and her volunteers visited day-after-Christmas sales.

"That's my baby," Wiley said of the program. "Some people join and they just want to adopt a whole family. We have 30 families adopted that way. Then we have another 41 (families) that the group's adopted."

Before Thanksgiving, volunteers pored through their packed North Ferdon Boulevard storage unit, sorting new toys and gently used clothes for distribution.

No sooner were donations organized than a wealth of more goodies were donated, almost doubling the inventory and packing the unit to the ceiling, Wiley said.

She and her team are now resorting, checking families' lists and planning battery-inserting and wrapping parties.

Not all toys are wrapped, Wiley said.

"If you want it wrapped, we'll wrap it, and if you don't and want to wrap it yourself, we'll give you a couple rolls of wrapping paper," she said.

'SELFLESS, TIRELESS'

Wiley's energy and dedication to the community inspire local residents.

"Selfless, tireless, compassionate and God-loving are just a few words I could use to describe Navy veteran Renee Wiley," volunteer John Marshall stated in an email. "The Lord has blessed Crestview when she began taking care of those who are less fortunate than the rest of us."

Giving Hands and Christmas Angels also accept cash donations, with all money going toward Christmas dinners for families and individuals on Wiley's lists.

"The needier ones, the ones who are just going to stay home and eat Ramen noodles, we want them to have Christmas dinner," Wiley said. "That's what we're doing with the money that comes in."

Wiley just has one request of people who receive help.

"We tell them all we want is, on Christmas Day and the day after Christmas, to see pictures of their smiles," she said.

"It's a good feeling to see those smiles."

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Navy veteran's charities spread Christmas cheer in Crestview

CRESTVIEW — A local auto dealership and the Crestview Police Department are ensuring needy children will have a merry Christmas.

Through a voluntary payroll withholding plan, 48 Allen Turner Chevrolet employees collectively donated $6,500, including company matching contributions, to the CPD's Cops For Kids program.

“Our employees are very community minded,” Turner said during the check presentation Thursday at the dealership. “They’ve been so blessed being able to do this for an established program. The Cops For Kids program has been such a success.”

“It’s been a very important program for us,” Police Chief Tony Taylor said. “Mr. Turner wanted to get involved with something like this and it’s a great partnership.

"There’s no telling how many lives they’re going to touch with the check they presented.”

While this is the first year the auto dealer's employees have supported Cops For Kids, Turner said he expects contributions will grow in years to come. “As employees see it working out, we think they’ll give even more next year,” he said.

Community Policing Officer Sam Kimmons, who voluntarily manages Cops For Kids with fellow Officer Wanda Hulion, said the program began 15 years ago as then patrolman Billy Napier's idea. “He created this to help some of the kids in public housing who might not have a Christmas otherwise,” Kimmons said.

Napier began his law enforcement career patrolling the city’s public housing complexes. When he started Cops For Kids, “it was just for one or two families,” Kimmons said. “If they were really struggling, he’d help them out.”

Later, now-retired Lt. Eddie Lehneis and Sgt. Dave Bracewell started helping. “Each year it got bigger,” Kimmons said.

“I’ve heard nothing but good about Billy,” said Hulion, who joined the force as a dispatcher just weeks before Napier died. “It really lights up the kids’ faces when we show up with the toys.”

 For Turner's Crestview team, those smiles make the year of donating worthwhile. “It feels good for our employees to be able to participate in something good that happens right here in Crestview,” Turner said.

“It touches local lives right here in town.”

!——-HUB NOTE: PLEASE IGNORE BELOW

Cops2

Allen Turner describes his employees enthusiasm for supporting the Crestview Police Department’s Cops For Kids program to Police Chief Tony Taylor.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian or call 850-682-6524.                                                

BRIAN HUGHES / News Bulletin

Cops For Kids donors may drop off new, unused toys and children’s clothes at Dollar General stores, city hall and the Crestview Police Department. Monetary donations are also received, Community Policing Officer Wanda Hulion said.

Families wishing to receive toys and clothes can drop off an application at the police department by Dec. 16.

“We do vet the applications,” Community Policing Officer Sam Kimmons said. Applicants on other gift donations lists, such as Toys For Tots or church giveaways, are ineligible “so those toys can go to another family,” Kimmons said.

For more information, call Kimmons, 305-7831, or Hulion, 305-2905, or stop by the Crestview Police Department in the Whitehurst Municipal Building on Stillwell Avenue at Industrial Drive.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Auto dealer joins Crestview Police Department effort to help needy children (VIDEO)