Andraya Carter, a Class of 2012 alumna of Buford High School and current ESPN reporter has been announced as this year’s Grand Marshall of the Buford Business Alliance Holiday Parade. The parade, as well as the festival, will be held on Saturday, December 2 along Buford’s historic Main Street.
During Carter’s time at BHS, she helped the Lady Wolves basketball team win three consecutive GHSA Class 2A state championships (2009-2011). She missed her senior season due to an injury, but the following year, she went to play for the University of Tennessee’s women’s basketball team. Carter was a three-year letter winner at Tennessee and many anticipated she would continue her career in the WNBA. However, she would suffer a career-ending injury.
Carter transitioned into a career in media and since 2018, she has been a reporter and analyst for ESPN/SEC Network, covering mainly college basketball. It was recently announced that Carter will be the first woman with a permanent role on ESPN’s basketball ‘College GameDay’ show.
Spectators can catch Carter and other parade participants including the Buford Band of Wolves starting at 9 a.m. The parade will begin at Tannery Row at 554 West Main Street, and continue east on Main Street before ending at South Hill Street. Santa is even rumored to make an appearance during the parade.
Following the parade, the Buford Business Alliance will be hosting the Holiday Festival at 301 East Main Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival is the largest festival that the BBA has hosted to date with over 58 vendors. There will be vendors selling clothing, jewelry, tumblers, handmade soap, Christmas decor, dog treats, brownies, Tupperware, wooden signs and more. There will also be vendors that are providing services such as banks, financial advisors, lawyers, schools, and non-profit organizations just to name a few.
This year, there will be a kids’ play area that will be presented by Hamilton Mill Church to help keep children engaged.
LDG Accounting Services has decided to sponsor Photos with Santa again this year, which makes all photos with Santa free. Parents can snap photos of their children with Santa with their cameras. Santa will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Check out the performers on the Amphitheatre stage from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. The performers are sure to add some festive cheer.
None of this would be possible without the generosity of the event sponsors, Holbrook Sugar Hill and Spraggins Law Firm, gold-level sponsors; Kingdom Auto Detailing, Renasant Bank and Total Joint Specialists, silver-level sponsors; and Chris Robinson State Farm, Inside Buford, Marcelle Smith with Peach State Realty, Peoples Bank & Trust and Tannery Row Ale House, bronze-level sponsors.
For more information on the BBA Holiday Festival and Parade or about the Buford Business Alliance, go to visitbuford.com.
