Norfolk holiday light parade planned

NORFOLK, va. - Downtown Norfolk's 24th annual Grand Illumination Parade will wind its way through downtown Norfolk starting at 7 p.m. Saturday.

There are a number of pre-parade activities planned. The Selden Arcade will be open from 3 until 5 p.m. so residents can check out the CANstruction structures built there. Upstairs, the art of noted local artists Anna Freeman and Brett LaGue will be on display.

The MacArthur Mall ice rink will also be open not just for public skating but also for figure skating exhibitions, lessons, and skating with the Norfolk Admirals. Also, Dillard's will be handing out free child-safety videos on the store's second floor.

The parade starts at the corner of St. Paul's Boulevard and Waterside Drive, heads west and then north on Waterside Drive, turns east on Plume Street, and then goes north on Granby Street to the parade's endpoint at Virginia Beach Boulevard.

About 100,000 people are expected at the parade, which is organized by Downtown Norfolk.

For more information, visit the parade Web site at downtownnorfolk.org.