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Santa Parade Promo Video Courtesy of Riparea Videography (2017)
Grand Rapids
Welcome
Formerly the Art Van Santa Parade, the Grand Rapids Junior Chamber is excited to announce the beloved Santa Parade is returning this year as the Gentex Santa Parade!
Stay tuned to our social media for more information!
Planning is well underway for this year’s parade and we are adding new festivities for all!
Notable 2022 Parade Guests:
Olivia Sanabia
Celebrity Guest
Olivia Sanabia is a 19 year-old actress and singer/songwriter. She is most well-known for her starring role as Kelly Quinn in Amazon’s “Just Add Magic” and recently starred in Disney Channel’s “Coop and Cami Ask the World”. She is a talented musician and has released several original singles including a Christmas song called “Evergreen”. She is beyond thrilled to be here to sing and celebrate the start of the holiday season!
Melissa Beyrand
Melissa Beyrand is the newly crowned Miss Michigan 2022. Melissa is originally from Milford, MI and graduated from Detroit Country Day School in 2018. She recently graduated from the University of Michigan College of Engineering in Ann Arbor in May of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in French. She will be going back to school in the fall to get her Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering with the goal of attending medical school to become a craniofacial reconstructive plastic surgeon.
At U of M, she is a member of the Michigan Waterski Team, with whom she recently won the 2021 Collegiate Water Ski National Championship. She also does research with the Potkay Biomedical & Microsystems Research Lab in partnership with Michigan Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Music is a very important part of Melissa’s life. She is a member of the executive boards for both the Michigan Pops Orchestra and Campus Symphony Orchestra. She is also a member of Detroit’s own electro-pop violin group, Nuclassica, with whom she performs for a variety of public and private events, including weddings, corporate and holiday parties, and fundraisers. Melissa is an active volunteer with the organization Project Sunshine, where she acts as the Communications Director to coordinate volunteer events for long-term pediatric hospital patients. Melissa has also served on the board and is an active member of the University of Michigan chapter of Phi Chi Pre-Medical Fraternity.
Melissa’s Social Impact Initiative is Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.), where she promotes equity for women in these technical fields, educates young students on the amazing opportunities available through S.T.E.A.M., and advocates for performing and visual arts programs in schools. As Miss Michigan, Melissa looks forward to speaking with students of all ages about the importance of experiential learning to refine critical thinking, enhance problem solving, and inspire curiosity. She is excited to share her own experiences with the young women of Michigan and our nation to empower them to follow their dreams.
Former Mrs. America 2021
Jackie Green - Grand Marshal
Jackie Green (Blankenship) Co-hosts the “Gray & Green Show” weekday mornings on 105.3 HOT-FM alongside Rachael Gray. Not only are Jackie and Rachael recognized as the first two woman morning FM radio show but they were also named the best morning show of the year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.
Jackie got her bachelors from Ferris State University where she was on a cross country and track scholarship. After graduation she went on to run 12 marathons and countless half marathons for charitable organizations like “The Purple Community”, “Kids Food Basket” and “The A-T Children’s Project”. When she isn’t on air or running you can find Jackie with her husband Jim and their 6 year old daughter Greenleigh.
Jackie works as an advocate for intersex youth and has spoken at numerous conventions and universities about being born with an intersex condition. Jackie used her advocacy work to propel her onto the pageant stage where she was named Mrs Michigan America 2021 going on to be the first woman from the state of Michigan to win the Mrs America title in its 45 year history. Jackie is currently a pageant and life coach with “Be Fearless Consulting” where she works with teens and women around the country to “Be Fearless” in their mission whether that’s on the pageant stage or in life.
Guest of Honor
Ada LeAnn is a 17-year-old American singer and songwriter. She was the State of Michigan’s representative for NBC’s American Song Contest Season 1 and she was a Semi Finalist! She was episode 5’s Jury selection and Tom Poleman, Chief Program Director for iHeart Radio, stated “Ada LeAnn reminds me of the first time I heard Taylor Swift! That Voice! Those Lyrics!” Ada was born and lives in Battle Creek, Michigan, but she records and tracks her songs out of Nashville, Tennessee.
She is known for her ability to write emotional and relationship-based lyrics that are real and relatable to her audience. Ada strives to be a voice for teenagers like herself to show them that they are heard, understood, and not alone. She has released 2 EP’s, multiple original singles and multiple covers. Her song “Natalie”, that she performed on ASC, was released by Atlantic Record. She continues to release new music regularly and you can listen to her full discography on ALL platforms.
Take a Photo with
Santa Claus
Meet Saint Nick after the parade on the front patio of the Grand Rapids Art Museum and get your FREE photo with Santa!
Approximately 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Thanks to LMCU for being our Photos with Santa Sponsor for 2022!
Share Your Story
How Was Your Experience?
Send us your experiences and photos for review, then come back and check out if they’ve been posted to our gallery and social media!
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