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If you have any information for the Community Calendar, please email it to justin.schuver@bogalusadailynews.com.

Bogalusa Christmas parade
The 22nd annual City of Bogalusa Lighted Christmas Parade committee is proud to present “Christmas in Bogalusa” on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. No registration is necessary to participate in the parade. Line up will be at Columbia Street at First Bank. All parade participants should be in line, on float or in their vehicle by 4:30 p.m. Disbanding will be at the old Bogalusa High School parking lot. No four-wheelers will be allowed, although side-by-sides and golf carts are allowed. Drivers must keep up with the parade. Drivers should maintain a two-car length distance between their vehicle and the next parade entry. Do not stop during the parade. There will be no undecorated floats or vehicles allowed in the parade. This does not apply to vehicles pulling floats or trailers, etc. Please try to decorate all vehicles, because this parade is about showing the community’s Christmas spirit. All music must be Christmas-themed.

Museum Christmas festival
The D.A. Varnado Store Museum’s annual Christmas festival will be Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 5, from noon until 5 p.m. at the Commercial Building at the Washington Parish Fairgrounds in Franklinton. There will be arts and crafts, food, a Santa appearance and photos, gift raffle, raffle tree and old-fashioned Christmas entertainment. The Mile Branch Pioneer Christmas will also be held across the street.

Pioneer Christmas
The Mile Branch Settlement Pioneer Christmas will be Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Mile Branch Settlement at the Washington Parish Fairgrounds in Franklinton. Christmas trees from McMillan’s Nursery will be available for purchase. There will also be food, arts and crafts; live music; a walk-through nativity scene; and much more.

Jingle Paws
Everyone is invited to the second annual “Jingle Paws” holiday-themed low-cost vaccine clinic for cats and dogs, which will be held Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Washington Parish Animal Shelter, located at 23046 YACC Road. Come enjoy local vendors who work with the shelters, and meet shelter pets from Washington Parish and Bogalusa Animal Control. Also available will be a free photo with an animal-loving Santa. Activities include an ugly sweater contest, painted paw prints, pet adoptions, foods and beverages, and a raffle sponsored by local businesses. No appointment is necessary. All proceeds from the event will go directly toward the animals housed at the shelter. Please bring cats in a pet taxi and dogs on a leash. Check out the shelter on Facebook for more information on pricing, sponsors and updates.

Christmas on Austin Street
Bogalusa Parks Recreation and Culture Commission is requesting community partners, churches, schools and other organizations to collaborate for the third annual “Christmas on Austin Street” on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. There will be free activities, festival-style games and booths. For more information, email bprcc.70427@gmail.com or call 985-295-1030.

Heart of Pine festival
Come join for a day of family fun at the Heart of Pine Christmas Festival, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in Pine. There will be food, friends, games and fun. Vendor openings are available. Contact Brittney at 985-516-8202 or Chrissy at 985-335-0450. For parade information, contact Amy at 985-205-7094 or Danny at 985-750-3636. There will also be a visit from Santa and his elves, hot cocoa, tree lighting, a bake sale and cookie decorating.

Calvin’s Drive-thru Christmas Carnival
Calvin’s Drive-thru Christmas Carnival — bringing the community together in love, peace and unity — will be held Saturday, Dec. 11, from noon until 3 p.m. at the Just Us Family Group Home, located at 824 E. Seventh St. in Bogalusa. Please wear a mask and remain in your car, as this is a contact-free event. There will be family, faith, fun and a free gift give-a-way. For more information, call Rhonda Arinde at 985-570-4198.

Parish drug take back
The “Washington Parish Drug Take Back” will be Thursday, Dec. 16, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at Northshore Technical Community College, located at 1710 Sullivan Drive in Bogalusa. This will be another great opportunity to assist Washington Parish residents with safely discarding their unused medications. There will also be helpful educational prevention resources and pamphlets regarding ways to avoid medication misuse, along with other helpful information. This event is being sponsored by Access Health Louisiana and Your Community Healthcare Network.

Parish alert system
Stay alert by enrolling in the Washington Parish Emergency Notification System. This alert system provides rapid notification of emergencies, critical events and urgent situations. The alert system can send notifications through the following methods: phone call, text, email or TTY/TTD service for the hearing impaired. Landline phones are automatically entered for the alert system. To receive alerts through a mobile phone or email, a citizen must register through one of the following options: call 985-282-2620, text “Alert” to 985-282-2620, or sign up online at www.hyper-reach.com/lawashingtonsignup.html. Citizens can also download the Hyper Reach Anywhere app to any smartphone. This alert system is completely free.

Bogalusa Help Center
It’s easy to smile when someone cares, and Bogalusa Help Center, our local food bank, cares. It is now a drive-through operation, located at 350 Martin Luther King Drive in Bogalusa. It is open from 8 a.m. until noon every Wednesday (except the fifth Wednesday of the month) providing food to those in need in our community. Since partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank/USDA, and along with generous donations from our community, BHC now distributes 35-40 pounds of food each month to over 400 families. These distributions include canned goods, meat, dry beans, peanut butter, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc. New clients can apply each week. They must provide: Name of head of the household; driver’s license or ID; address; number of persons in the household and ages; and SNAP or SSI printout, or proof of income of all in the household. Donations are always very much needed and appreciated. For more information, BHC may be reached at 985-735-6404 every Wednesday.