Clarence Brown to serve as Grand Marshal for 2021 Bedford Christmas Parade

BEDFORD – Bedford Revitalization Inc. is working to host Bedford’s Christmas Around the Square, traditionally held on the first Saturday in December.   

The parade will take place on December 4th and will step off at 6:00 p.m. Clarence Brown was named the Grand Marshal of the Christmas Parade for 2020, but with COVID-19 cancelling the parade, he will serve as the Grand Marshal for 2021.

Clarence Brown

Brown is grateful for his opportunity to serve as the Grand Marshal and will be recognized for what he does for others.

“There are a lot of people in our community who do so much for others and give of themselves, the fact that I am being recognized for my willingness to serve is truly a privilege and an honor,” Brown said. “To be recognized for my community service means the most to me.”

The title of Grand Marshal is an honor, but Clarence doesn’t want to be remembered only for that.

“Being the Grand Marshal is amazing, but with all of the great things I get to do as a server of the people, I take that as the highest form of praise,” said Brown. “There are a lot of people in this world who are named Clarence Brown, I just hope that when people think of me, they think of me as a servant of others.”

From an early age, Brown’s parents shared the importance of serving the community, which Brown says is his only goal.

“My parents instilled in me the importance of serving others, of serving God and my wife and daughters allow me to continue with that and help support me in all of my choices, in being a server of God and of his people,” Brown said.

With all the work Brown has done and will continue to do for the community, he is truly grateful for the opportunity to help elevate others and share his accomplishments with others.

“It is a privilege for sure, and I get to have whoever I want on the float with me, so I am choosing some men from the Warming Shelter to have the opportunity to be elevated up there with me,” said Brown. “This isn’t a means to allow them to show off, but to show that they are people too, and we should all work together as God has asked us to do.”

Brown is a life-long resident of Bedford along with his wife Darlene and two daughters Tonya Welch and Susan Brown Fowler.

Brown graduated from Bedford High School in 1973. He went on to attend 2 Junior Colleges and then returned home to work for Public Service Indiana and then for Visteon for 25 years. 

Clarence Brown

He founded the Martin Luther King March in Bedford and has remained the organizer of the event for 31 years. He also serves the community by encouraging fellow residents using his gift of song at local nursing facilities and funerals, as well as being a silent blessing to others in a variety of ways.

The BRI Parade Committee is looking forward to hosting the upcoming Christmas Parade, which wraps up the festivities taking place downtown as part of Bedford’s Christmas Around the Square.

Brown has always had a heart for service, such as speaking and performing at funerals, weddings, jail ministry, nursing homes and at the Men’s Warming Shelter.  To proclaim the love of Jesus Christ is his most rewarding service.

It’s free to enter the illuminated Christmas parade. The parade will step off at 6 p.m.

The parade theme is a general “Christmas” theme, to allow parade entries to focus mostly on the Christmas light aspect of their parade entry. All entries MUST have Christmas lights incorporated into their design.

The deadline to enter the Christmas parade is Monday, November 22nd.

To enter the parade click here. You must hit SUBMIT at the end of the application and an email with a recap of your responses will be sent to the email address provided on the form.

You can email bri@downtownbedford.org with any questions.

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