Rock Hill Christmas Parade dedicated to late ‘Santa Claus,’ Klaus Schmolke
Friday’s Rock Hill Christmas Parade – the centerpiece of Day Two of ChristmasVille, which gets underway Thursday – will be dedicated to the man who rode at the end of the parade dressed as Santa Claus for more than 30 years and who was born with the right name for the job: Klaus.
Klaus Schmolke, born in Germany and a longtime Rock Hill resident who raised his family here, died in March at 73. For decades, he was aboard the final float dressed as Santa Claus in the largest Christmas parade in the region. Schmolke also stood in for Santa at Piedmont Medical Center for years, making special trips to visit sick children.
Janie Schmolke, who played Mrs. Claus for decades at her husband’s side, said the family is honored the city has dedicated the parade to her husband who loved the parade so much.
Friday’s parade will be led by a banner in his name.
Roads closed for Rock Hill parade
Several downtown streets will be closed Friday afternoon and evening for the Rock Hill Christmas Parade. It will begin at Oakland and Stewart avenues at 6:30 p.m., proceed down Oakland and turn right onto White Street, left through the parking lot next to Wells Fargo and up Main Street, ending at Fountain Park between Elizabeth Lane and Saluda Street.
For much of Friday evening during preparations for the parade, drivers should avoid:
▪ Oakland Avenue, from Cherry Road to Stewart Avenue (closed to traffic beginning at 2 p.m.)
▪ The parade route will close at 5:45 p.m. and reopen when the parade has safely passed.
▪ During the parade, Elizabeth Lane between Black and White streets, as well as Main Street between Elizabeth Lane and Orange Street, will be closed. They will reopen after all parade participants have cleared the area.
▪ On-street parking on Elizabeth Lane between Black and White streets will be unavailable Friday.
▪ Other downtown streets might be closed at other times during the ChristmasVille festival, from Thursday through Sunday.
Information: 803-329-5620.
Bristow Marchant
This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 5:51 PM with the headline "Rock Hill Christmas Parade dedicated to late ‘Santa Claus,’ Klaus Schmolke."