A hometown hero who made history flying around the moon earlier this year will lead Jacksonville’s holiday celebrations this fall.
The Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce has announced that NASA Astronaut Christina Koch will serve as the grand marshal for this year’s Jacksonville Christmas Holiday Parade.
Koch, a Jacksonville native and White Oak High School alumna, served as a mission specialist aboard the historic Artemis II flight in April, becoming the first woman to journey around the moon. Her star-themed homecoming follows a wave of recent national honors for the astronaut, who was also named one of Time Magazine's most influential people.
Organizers say the parade is scheduled for November 21 under the theme, "A Star Spangled Christmas".
