MEMPHIS, TN – Sandy Cheekz was in rare form Saturday (Dec. 14, 2024) morning when she belted out one of her popular songs before a bevy of listeners who braved the inclement weather and amassed along both sides of Austin Peay Highway to watch the Bluff City Christmas Parade in Raleigh.
Donning rain gear, in some cases, with a few umbrellas hoisted over their heads, men, women and children assembling near the grandstand waited patiently for the procession of parade participants to file past them in their snazzy outfits — but not before Cheekz finished singing “Booty Club.”
Lil’ Rounds, a finalist on the eighth season of American Idol and another one of Memphis’s musical sensations, performed a number herself prior to Cheekz’s cheeky rap song to kick off the Christmas parade.
“In the history of the Raleigh community, I’m the first person to plan a parade and to have them (Memphis Police Department) shut the street down,” said Dr. Telisa Franklin, the parade organizer and reputed businesswoman.
While the slight drizzle coated the parade route down Austin Peay Highway, parade-goers and the organizers refused to allow the weather to dampen their holiday spirit. Franklin said she was determined to pull it off — come what may.
“I wanted to give the community an opportunity to showcase themselves,” Franklin said. “It was everything for me. I came for the children,” she added, “which models what my theme is: ‘I Came for the Community.’ That’s what it’s all about.”
About 40 schools, organizations, businesses, ministries, clubs and more geared up for Franklin’s fourth annual Christmas parade. She rolled out the first Christmas parade in the Hickory Hill community in 2021. Parade-goers watched happily while participants strutted their wares. During the subsequent years, they were just as fervent.
This year, Memphis Mayor Paul Young lauded Franklin and her fourth Christmas parade during the ribbon cutting ceremony to usher in a new era for the Raleigh community.
Austin Peay Highway — where the hustle and bustle of commerce along the stretch are prevalent and widespread — was once home to The Raleigh Springs Mall, just north of Interstate 40.
The enclosed mall first opened in 1971 and was once teeming with business from walk-in traffic and more. But then in the early 2000s, the mall had reached the end of its lifespan. After multiple court challenges, the city of Memphis razed the property to make room for The Raleigh Civic Center.
Shelby County Commissioner Charlie Caswell and State Rep. Antonio Parkinson, both sponsors of the Christmas parade and both longtime community activists in Raleigh and Frayser, pointed out from the grandstand that more development is underway for the proud community.
Memphis City Councilwoman Rhonda Logan, who represents District 1 on the City Council, and Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas, representing District 7, rounded out the list of parade sponsors.
Parkinson, representing District 98 in the Tennessee General Assembly, was one of the parade’s two grand marshals. The other one was Memphis Shelby County Schools board member Stephanie P. Love, who represents District 3.
Caswell, representing District 6 on the Shelby County Board of Commission, served as host alongside Franklin and DJ Q, a community leader and reportedly the youngest disc jockey at HOT 107.1 FM, a “Tru (sic) Hip-Hop” radio station.
Franklin said this year’s Christmas parade was just as nice or better than the other three. She said she was content just to see the eyes of the children “light up” when school bands marched, blew their horns, and thumped their drums while majorettes danced to the beat.
Also on view were immaculate corvettes and other dainty vehicles rolling slowly down Austin Peay Highway and tossing candy and other goodies to children, who ran into the street and along the sidewalk to scoop them up.
To Franklin’s delight, the parade participants made the children’s day just a little brighter this holiday season.
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