Snow may not be glistening in the lane Thursday night, but bellswill certainly be ringing at the annual Brookhaven Christmas Paradedowntown.

The parade lineup continues to grow with new entries arrivingnearly every day, said Rita Rich, president of theBrookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce.

She said she did not have a formal count of the number ofentries, but it looked like the parade would feature a strong fieldof floats and participants.

“We always have more than a 100 entries,” Rich said. “We havemore than that now.”

Entries will be accepted until the morning of the parade andorganizers will determine the lineup that morning, she said.Applications are still available at the Chamber office.

The parade will follow its normal downtown route, beginning atthe post office on West Cherokee Street and ending on MonticelloStreet.

Streets along the parade route and in the staging area, most ofthe downtown area, will be closed at 5:30 p.m. Thursday inpreparation for the parade, Rich said.

A vacant lot at the intersection of Highway 51 and BrookwayBoulevard will serve as the staging area for horses and otherentries involving livestock, she said.

Santa Claus, the guest of honor, will close out the parade, Richsaid. Former Mayor Doug Sullivan will serve as the parade’s grandmarshal.

Officials will begin lighting the city’s Christmas decorationstonight, said Kenny Goza, a volunteer.

“The whole area won’t be lit tonight, but once they come onthey’ll stay on until the parade,” he said. “Railroad Park, withall its new decorations, will be on tonight.”

The city has invested in Christmas donations heavily the lasttwo years and those efforts will really be noticeable this year,said Kay Burton, program director at the Chamber.

The majority of the decorations will be displayed in the citycenter or along the parade route, but the entire city will get someChristmas spirit, she said.

A new Nativity scene will grace the corner of Cherokee Streetand Whitworth Avenue in Railroad Park. Another scene in the parkshould also generate interest, Burton said.

“There’s a very impressive set of three wise men on camels.They’re about nine feet tall,” she said.

Decorations from the past have also been refurbished and addedto the new. Every planter downtown will be lit, she said, and a13-foot Christmas tree will be erected at the chamber.

Burton praised the efforts of volunteers who have spent weekspreparing the city for the holiday and parade. City employeesRichard Boone and Rodney Smith deserved special praise, she said,for their “tireless devotion in the past weeks.”