Thompson Hopes This Year's Christmas Parade Float Is A Winner

Staff Photo Michael Woods • @NWAMICHAELW Nicholas, 10, watches as his dad, Will Thompson, sketches out a basic drawing of how their float for the Springdale Christmas parade will look like on Sunday morning at the BTX kids office in Springdale.
Staff Photo Michael Woods • @NWAMICHAELW Nicholas, 10, watches as his dad, Will Thompson, sketches out a basic drawing of how their float for the Springdale Christmas parade will look like on Sunday morning at the BTX kids office in Springdale.

A roller-skating Grinch. A burned Christmas tree. What will Will Thompson send up Emma Avenue this year? He's not telling.

This year's theme is "Silent Night," and Thompson has a plan.

Thompson, owner and operator of BTX Kids Sports Experience in Springdale, won the President's prize last year and placed second the year before in the Christmas Parade of the Ozarks float contest. The win puts BTX's float at the back of this year's parade and makes it the only one allowed to carry Santa. Along with Santa, the float will feature many of the young members of BTX.

The 18th annual parade, presented by the Springdale Benevolent Amusement Foundation and the Rodeo of the Ozarks, leaves the rodeo grounds at 6 p.m. Nov. 29 heading west on Emma Avenue. Businesses, religious groups and community groups enter floats for trophies and cash prizes in their own categories, explained Rick Culver, executive director of the Rodeo of the Ozarks. Walking groups, car clubs, bands and more join the parade that opens the Christmas season in Springdale.

"He works with kids," Culver said of Thompson. "And that's important to have in the community."

"(The parade) is a tradition. We've been doing it for years," said Fadil Bayyari, rodeo board president. "Our volunteers enjoy it. Our board enjoys it. And the people enjoy it.

"It's a way to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Christ. It's a way to bring rodeo and the holidays together."

The parade fits with the rodeo's mission of providing year-round family entertainment, Culver said.

BTX Kids is a nonprofit athletic program for children ages kindergarten to 12th grade, teaching football skills "from the basic to the extreme," Thompson said. It started four years ago as a football camp and has grown to include a summer-long program (with some Arkansas Razorback players on hand), an after-school program, a fitness program and football leagues, he said.

"Yes, I'm the idiot," Thompson said of his talents designing the floats. "Last year, we burned a Christmas tree to the crisp for (the Griswold's "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" theme) float. And they're not kicking me out of the Chamber of Commerce.

"I love Christmas. It's the kids," he said. "I drive my wife crazy."

Sunday morning Thompson sketched out his idea for this year's float on a piece of paper at his desk, with the help of his 11-year-old son, Nic. "If I wanted your opinion, I would give it to you," Thompson said to Nic, with whom he has an obvious camaraderie.

Because of the cold weather, the day was spent gathering supplies to build on the 16-foot trailer provided by Travis Graves, the father of some BTX kids. Thompson estimated it would take about two full days of work to build this year's entry.

Thompson's floats have been made with less. "Last year, we had a $126 investment, and we won."

This year's should involve some scrap metal, one piece of wood and every bed sheet in Springdale Thompson can get from the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores. The year before, the biggest expense was a Grinch mask, he said.

As Thompson continued to plan his float, his excitement grew, and he began offering sneak peeks at this year's entry.

"It's gonna whoop everybody," he said, but he revealed only his theme: The BTX Winter Games.

Springdale will just have to wait for Santa.

NW News on 11/20/2014

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