The annual Franklin Christmas Parade, which is hosted by the Downtown Franklin Rotary Club and sponsored by Medical House Calls, is adding a new element this year. Williamson County residents and former TV personalities Nikki Burdine and Neil Orne will serve as the official emcees when the parade takes place on December 6.
Burdine and Orne will provide live commentary on the parade that will be broadcast live throughout Main Street from a stage in the Franklin square. Ascension St. Thomas is sponsoring the stage and sound system.
“This is another step in elevating what is one of Middle Tennessee’s best parades to another level,” said DFRC President Steve Bacon. “Nikki and Neil have a great chemistry together and will really have a good time as our emcees. We look forward to their commentary bringing a new level of excitement and energy to the parade.”
The Christmas Parade will once again be held on the first Saturday of December, starting at 1 p.m. with a parade route that goes through Main Street. Chaired by DFRC members C.J. Monte and Sharon Thompson, the parade’s 2025 theme is “I’ll Be Home for Christmas – A Salute to Military and First Responders Who Serve Selflessly at Christmas and All Year.” Community leader Alma McLemore was recently announced as the grand marshal.
Burdine is a Middle Tennessee-based content creator and media coach. She was a co-anchor for Good Morning Nashville on WKRN, Channel 2 with Orne for eight years. In addition to her consulting company, Burdine has a podcast with Orne called “Not the News.” She and her husband, Justin, are raising their six-year-old daughter in Brentwood.
Orne was a mainstay on WKRN for many years before stepping away from his role as co-anchor of Good Morning Nashville recently. He now stays busy doing voice-over and on-camera work, emceeing community events and staying connected with the Middle Tennessee audiences he’s come to know so well. He and Keri Lea live in Williamson County and have a daughter at the University of Tennessee and another at Fred J. Page High School.
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