It is an annual holiday tradition at Narconon Arrowhead to build and man a parade float which participates in the local community Christmas parades. The 2014 theme for Narconon Arrowhead’s float was Happy Sober Holidays, and it made its way along the parade route in The Downtown Christmas Parade this year in Muscogee, Oklahoma.
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Narconon Arrowhead, situated in Arrowhead State Park in Southeastern Oklahoma, is located about 46 miles from the community of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Muskogee, with a population of more than 39,000 residents is one of the larger local communities, ranking 11th in population statewide.
A point of national interest in Muskogee is its World War I Memorial Park, Honor Heights Park. During the winter, Honor Heights is transformed into the Garden of Lights, a 132-acre Christmas light display. Its beauty draws visitors from across the United States.
Muskogee also celebrates The Downtown Christmas Parade as another part of its annual holiday observances. A Country Western Christmas was the 2014 theme of the parade, which was held at 6 o’clock in the evening on the 11th of December.
Narconon Arrowhead, a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education center, participated in the Muskogee Downtown Christmas Parade in 2014 with its parade float entry. Sharing the message of Happy Sober Holidays in Oklahoma with all parade attendees and the local community was the rehab center’s way of giving back to the community while sharing its message of drug prevention.
Happy Sober Holidays
The Happy Sober Holidays in Oklahoma parade float entry by Narconon Arrowhead was judged along with all other parade-float entries in The Downtown Christmas Parade. Judging was based on a number of criteria, including the parade float’s adherence to the 2014 parade theme of A Country Western Christmas.
Additional judging criteria included construction and craftsmanship of the float, originality of design, creative use of float materials, the costuming of individuals participating as part of the float entry, and the parade float’s overall visual impact.
The Narconon Arrowhead float was built and manned by staff and students on the rehab program at the center, and together they sought to meet the entry criteria while at the same time effectively delivering their message of hope and help to parade attendees and the entire community of Muskogee.
Another requirement of all parade float entries in The Downtown Christmas Parade was that they were safe for all in attendance at the parade, and that they were decorated in a family-friendly manner. Narconon Arrowhead fulfilled that requirement with its celebration of twenty-five years of saving lives in Oklahoma, and its message of a drug-free future for the children, youth and families of Oklahoma.
Judges awarded first and second-place prizes to the floats judged to be the best, and Narconon Arrowhead did its best to meet the challenge of creating the best float. At the same time, helping others with the sharing of its drug-free message was the real prize for Narconon Arrowhead staff and students.
The executives and staff of Narconon Arrowhead are also aware that the opportunity for participating in holiday activities and sharing the message of a drug-free life with others is also an important part of recovery for those students on the drug rehab program at the center.
Participating in holiday activities helps these individuals in recovery in beginning to build a more productive life, as well as finding a role in society which permits them to help others. It is a win-win situation for everyone.
The Happy Sober Holidays in Oklahoma parade float entry in the Muskogee holiday parade was the perfect way for Narconon Arrowhead to celebrate the love, caring, and generosity which defines the spirit of the holiday season for us all.