Deck The Chairs announces award winners

Annual holiday event draws record crowd

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With 2020 coming to a close, you might have thought nothing was different about this year if you had just stepped into Jax Beach Deck The Chairs and seen the thousands of smiling eyes. Entering its sixth and final week of the 2020 holiday season, “Jacksonville’s Best Holiday Event” has showcased Santa, hosted Tuba Christmas, produced three weekends of children’s dance programming, presented chair decorating awards and, unexpectedly, far surpassed attendance numbers of any previous year.

 Public safety is foremost for DTC organizers, especially in a year where health and well-being are challenged by a pandemic. A new exhibit layout with multiple hand-sanitizing stations and free masks helps organizers keep this popular “family-friendly” outdoor experience safe and accessible. Activities scheduled during the day and late afternoon limited the possibility of overlap between program audiences and exhibit attendees. These adjustments balanced out park activity and improved visitor experience. Utilizing concession sales as one method to track visitor attendance, DTC has seen approximately 30 percent increase over last year.

 With the surge in park space foot traffic, JBDTC development committee leaders are especially grateful for the 2020 sponsors who made early commitments, amid a difficult year, to put their best effort into creating thought-provoking displays to capture the imagination of young and old alike. Without a strong and improving exhibit year after year, JBDTC would not be successful. Unfortunately, there is only one “Best of Show” and seven remaining awards.

After tabulating more than 2,000 votes, organizers are proud to announce these top chair decorators for 2020 JBDTC:

Best of Show

The American Legion

First Place

Pablo Towers

Second Place

Fur Sisters – Furever Urs Rescue

Third Place

Beaches Go Green Octopus Garden

Honorable Mentions

■ Boys and Girls Club of NE Florida with Florida Turf

■ Beachside Swim

■ UNF Alumni Association with DPR Construction

■ Saint Paul’s Catholic School