MOUNT VERNON — The annual Christmas Parade Auction will be held Thursday at Flappers Bar & Grille, 15 W. High St. A social hour will kick off the event at 5:30 p.m., followed by the auction at 6:30. This year’s parade theme is “The Characters of Christmas.”

The auction is held annually and raises funds for the parade by auctioning off sponsorships of the parade categories. There are 19 categories this year, ranging from walking and animal entries to best emergency vehicle or motorcycle to best overall entry. This year the auctioneers are Jason and Jenney Murray.

A silent auction will be held in conjunction with the parade auction this year. Some of the silent auction items include hand blown glass by Robert Coleman, a lighted tree by Elaine Ambrosiani, 2009 US Mint set, four tickets to opening night of “Annie,” a Cleveland Browns helmet signed by Bernie Kosar, a framed drawing from Vicki Herrick Coleman and a framed photo by Bill Ernst.

This year’s parade will be Saturday, Nov. 28, at 1:30 p.m. in downtown Mount Vernon.

For more information on the auction, or if someone is unable to attend but would like to bid, call Lynne Ricard at 393-1481, or send an e-mail to manager@visitdowntownmountvernon.com.