WHEELING — Traffic cones and closed bridges aren’t going to stop Santa from making his way to Wheeling next month to kick off the holiday season.

The annual Main Street Bank Fantasy In Lights Parade marches down Market and up Main street beginning after 6 p.m. on Nov. 18. And this year’s grand marshals are Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron, and Ron Greene, the long-time organizer of the annual Debbie Greene race.

As in past years, units will be lining up in Centre Market, explained Laurie Conway.

She added the chamber expresses much gratitude to the West Virginia Division of Highways, which has granted its permission to allow the parade to proceed across the closed Market Street Bridge so that marchers can cross over into Wheeling to start the parade.

The parade this year will start between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., depending on the number of participants, according to Conway.

The chamber is still taking applications through Oct. 21 from those wanting to be included, she added. The application can be downloaded at www/wheeling chamber.com.

“We’re hoping to get to the 90-plus mark like we had before COVID,” Conway said. “The start time will depend on the number of requests we receive.”

The streets will be filled with construction as the city begins its $32 million Downtown Streetscape project, and there had been some concerns the parade wouldn’t take place this year.

“We are really excited to be able to have the parade this year,” she said. “With the streetscape project, things were up in the air a bit.

“But we are happy to still bring the parade to the community and be able to kick off the holiday season.”

The parade will take a slightly shorter route this year, she acknowledged. It officially begins on Market Street at the West Virginia Northern Campus, proceeds north along Market Street to 12th Street, then continues south on Main Street before ending just past Main Street Bank. That is where Santa will light the Main Street Bank Christmas tree to usher in the holiday season.

Previous years saw the parade make the turn at 10th Street.

“That is just not possible this year,” Conway said. “Where they are building the parking garage, it’s tricky and would be difficult for the bands and floats.

“Our goal is to return to 10th Street when the construction is completed.”

Main Street Bank is once again the presenting partner of the Parade, and will hold a special family-friendly tree-lighting event directly following the conclusion of the ‘Fantasy in Lights’ Parade, she added.