Christmas in Claremore

Cash money! Claremore’s Santa Cash event kicked off November 14, and it runs until noon on Friday, December 19.

Cash money! Claremore’s Santa Cash event kicked off November 14, and it runs until noon on Friday, December 19. The drawing will be held on Saturday, December 20 at 10 a.m., and the cash prizes this year are at an all-time high.   

The big Santa Cash prizes this year are $5,000 and $2,500, and you must be present to win these. The Claremore Chamber has added an additional drawing for $1,500, but you don’t have to be present to win that one. “This is a great promotion and the committee does a great job,” says Dell Davis, CEO of the Claremore Chamber of Commerce. “Each year we’ve added to the amounts of the prizes with the support of our sponsors and participating merchants. This is the most we’ve given away – $9,000.”

The Santa Cash event is in its sixth year. “Santa Cash is a great way to promote local buying and keep tax dollars in Claremore,” says Davis. “It’s a wonderful way to reward people for shopping in Claremore. We have such a wide variety of shops and merchants here. And you can get tickets just from stopping by the stores as well as buying from them.” For Santa Cash participating merchants, businesses, rules and regulations, contact the Claremore Chamber of Commerce or go to www.claremore.org.  

This year, the Santa Cash event moves to Cherokee Casino at Will Rogers Downs. “This move to the casino will really help to address some of the issues we’ve had in the past,” says Julie Adams, who is now in her fourth year as the chairperson of Santa Cash. “This will offer better protection from the elements, and a lot better traffic flow. We’d also like to thank Claremore Public Schools for the use of Lantow Field the last few years.”

“This is a really fun day,” says Davis. “We get about 3,000 people every year. Santa will arrive in a helicopter with the assistance of Air Evac elves, weather permitting. The casino will also have Santa pictures available, and proceeds will be donated to an area charity. We’ll be doing a canned food drive to support local food banks as well. The casino will be sponsoring three additional drawings for $1,000 each. If you bring canned goods, you’ll get extra tickets for the casino’s drawings. And there will be a Ty England Country Christmas Concert at 2 p.m. Having the event at the casino is a great opportunity for the people who come out to do many more activities,” added Adams.

Sponsors for the Santa Cash event include Cherokee Casino at Will Rogers Downs, Suburban Chevrolet, RCB Bank, First Bank of Oklahoma, IBC Bank, Grand Bank, Bank of Commerce, Wal-Mart, and The Claremore Daily Progress.

The Claremore Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 6. It begins at 6 p.m. The parade will line up at the Expo on West Highway 20, go down Will Rogers Boulevard, through downtown, and finish at the gazebo. “The Chamber has been coordinating the Christmas Parade for as long as I can remember,” says Davis. “There are floats, marching bands, boy scouts and girl scouts, and commercial entries. It’s a real hometown parade. There will be lots of lights, and Santa will be there.”

For more information on the Santa Cash event, the Christmas Parade and other Claremore events, call the Claremore Chamber of Commerce or visit them on the web at www.claremore.org.

 For more information, contact

Claremore Chamber of Commerce

(918) 341-2818