Season ushered in with Christmas parades
Holiday events are coming up fast in Anderson County as December kicks off, including the Rocky Top Christmas parade this Friday evening, and the Clinton Christmas parade on Saturday evening.
This week’s holiday happenings begin with the Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 1) at A.K. Bissell Park, 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The tree is a Norway spruce provided by the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club.
That event will start with the tree-lighting ceremony at the park’s Secret City Commemorative Walk on the east side of the Oak Ridge Public Library. Following that there will be seasonal music and refreshments at the A.K. Pavilion.
Then, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the Rocky Top Christmas tree lighting will be held by the Rocky Top Public Library.
On Friday (Dec. 2) from 5-8 p.m., there will be the city of Clinton’s “Chilly” Cookoff and Tree Lighting at the Clinton Community Center, 101 S. Hicks St.
This event will feature the traditional chili cook-off competition among city employees, as well as bowling, cornhole, and basketball, along with the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree and a visit from Santa Claus.
Also on Friday, the Rocky Top Christmas parade will begin at 7 p.m. at Industrial Park Road and South Main Street, and continue up Main Street to McDonald’s at Interstate 75.
Downtown Clinton will be the site of the Clinton Christmas parade, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 3), traveling north along Main Street from the courthouse area, then down Market Street.
Bands, floats, dancers, local artists and more will join the parade, whose 2022 theme is “A Storybook Christmas.”
Businesses, churches, schools and other marching groups are invited to register and participate. Floats and politicians must pay a $25 entry fee, while all other participants pay $10 each.
Also, candy will be thrown to the children from floats and other parade vehicles.
Proceeds go to Historic Downtown Clinton, a new nonprofit formed as a part of the Main Street program “that strives to enhance and preserve our unique small town history by making the downtown area the center for local businesses to thrive, new partnerships to develop, and for the community to gather,” the organization says.
Coming up next week:
• There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Evans Candy Company at 226 N. Main St. at 4 p.m. Friday (Dec. 9).
• The annual Museum of Appalachia Candlelight Christmas event will also be held on Friday (Dec. 9), from 4-9 p.m., and again on Saturday (Dec. 10) from 4-9 p.m.
• On Saturday, Dec. 10, there will be downtown Clinton’s annual Cookie Crawl from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Main and Market streets, with shops featuring cookies and beverages.
• The Norris Winter Festival will also be held on Saturday (Dec. 10) from 2-6 p.m., followed by the Norris Christmas parade at 6 p.m.
Winter Festival is a new event in Norris, held in the downtown area, featuring music, crafts, local artisans, and more. Santa will be available for children to visit after the parade in the Lions Club Pavilion outside the Norris Middle School.