Festive lineup

Christmas parades planned next week

November 27, 2024 by G. Chambers Williams III

As the 2024 holiday season moves into high gear, Christmas parades are scheduled next week in Clinton, Norris and Rocky Top, with the Oak Ridge parade the following weekend.

Rocky Top will have its Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. next Thursday, Dec. 5, at City Hall, followed at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, by the Christmas parade.

Then on Saturday, Dec. 7, both Norris and Clinton will hold their Christmas parades.

Clinton’s traditional parade of bands, floats, dancers, local artists and more will proceed up Market Street then down Main Street beginning at 6 p.m. This year’s theme is “Christmas at the Movies.”

In Norris, the Christmas parade also begins at 6 p.m., following the Norris Winter Festival, which will be held from 1-6 p.m. in the downtown area.

Also on Friday, Dec. 6, the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will hold its community Christmas tree lighting, beginning at 6 p.m. in A.K. Bissell Park.

Then on Saturday, Dec. 14, Oak Ridge’s Christmas parade will begin at 6 p.m. Its theme this year is “Home for the Holidays.”

It will form at Corporate Center (151 Lafayette Drive) and turn West onto the Oak Ridge Turnpike, then proceed to the Oak Ridge High School area.

Oliver Springs will round out the Christmas parade season this year beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21.

Also scheduled in downtown Clinton on Dec. 14 is the annual Holiday Market, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It will include the brick-and-mortar stores, along with street vendors, food trucks and more.

Associated with the Holiday Market will be the Cookie Crawl from 1-4 p.m., presented by the downtown Clinton merchants. It will feature free cookies and other refreshments in the stores, along with visits from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and The Grinch.

In Norris, the fourth-annual Winter Festival will be held in the downtown commons area and at Norris Middle School on Saturday, Dec. 7.

The Winter Festival’s opening ceremony begins at 1 p.m. on the Norris stage with a reading of the Christmas story by the Rev. David Seibers, followed by an afternoon of live music from the same stage, which is next to the Lions Club Pavilion, in front of the middle school.

Hay-wagon rides will be offered this year, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Activities for kids include crafts in Kids’ Korner in the Betty Ann Jolly Library and games, archery, face painting and the popular Reindeer Maze in front of Norris Middle School.

The parking lot behind the middle school is available for parking, and there will be golf cart shuttles available from the parking lot to the “Village” and the school cafeteria.

Throughout the day, guests may purchase and decorate an ornament for the “Tree of Celebration” which will be lit at 5:30 p.m., followed by a Christmas carol sing-along. All proceeds from this will be donated to the Hurricane Helene Fund.

Food vendors will be selling caramel corn, hot chocolate, cider, cookies, maple syrup, homemade pies, and more inside the middle school cafeteria.

New vendors this year will feature funnel cakes, cotton candy, cake pops and other holiday gifts. Demonstrations of holiday food preparation will be held hourly beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Artisans and craft vendors will again set up in the “Village,” which is centered in the Lions pavilion.

This year, the Village also will include woodworking and carvings, jewelry, bird food and feeders, leather items, handmade pottery, children’s books, aromatherapy products, crochet rugs, and bath and body products. There will also be wreaths and ornaments for sale.

This event “provides local entrepreneurs an opportunity to sell food, crafts, books, and more for our gift-giving and personal enjoyment,” according to its promoters. The festival is sponsored by the Norris Recreation Commission.

Photo opportunities with your pets will be offered by the Norris Animal Shelter from 2-3 p.m., and there will be cat toys available to purchase.

Food trucks on hand will be April’s Grill and Good Hombres, and both will open at noon.

The parade begins immediately at 6 p.m., and will include Santa Claus.

Festival promoters invite anyone who is in a “decorating mood” to join them from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, “to transform the Lions Club Pavilion, school lawn and commons area into the Winter Festival.

For more information, contact Kim de Ropp at 865-314-5740 or Sally Jackson at 865-599-0137.

More events

n On Saturday, Dec. 14, Norris Dam State Park will present its annual old-time Christmas in the Park.

This event will take place at the Lenoir Museum, Gristmill, and Crosby Threshing Barn from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

It’s free and for the family, and will include children’s crafts, warm drinks, a pie supper auction, live folk music, and Santa Claus.

The activities are just off Norris Freeway (U.S. 441) between Andersonville Highway and Norris Dam.

Non-perishable food donations will be collected for local food banks.

The silent pie auction will be held from 4-7 p.m. at the Crosby Threshing Barn. You do not have to be present to win; the winners will be announced or called at 7 p.m.

To donate a pie for this auction, email holly.frerichs@tn.gov.

Kids can meet at the bonfire pit in front of the Threshing Barn at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. to “Read with a Ranger” where one of the park rangers will read aloud a Christmas story.

The Barn will also house “make your own ornament” stations.

Live music will be in the Lenoir Museum, along with historic crafts.

n On Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20-21, the annual Museum of Appalachia Candlelight Christmas event will be held from 4-9 p.m. both days. Purchase tickets at the museum or online at museumofappalachia.org.

The museum is on Andersonville Highway in Norris.