Three Christmas parades, Winter Festival usher in the holiday season

December 4, 2024 by G. Chambers Williams III

With less than three weeks to go until Christmas, the annual holiday parades are scheduled this weekend in Rocky Top, Clinton and Norris, along with the annual Winter Festival in Norris.

Rocky Top leads off with its Christmas tree lighting at 6 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 5) at City Hall, with the Christmas parade coming at 6 p.m. Friday.

Then the Clinton Parks and Recreation department invites the community to its annual Christmas tree lighting event at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, at the Community Center, with the actual tree lighting at 6 p.m.

Timely Topics will serve free cookies. Santa will be available for pictures with parents’ cameras.

Also on Friday, the Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. at A.K. Bissell Park.

Both Norris and Clinton’s Christmas parades will follow on Saturday evening, while Oak Ridge will wait until the following Saturday (Dec. 14) to have its parade.

The traditional Clinton parade featuring bands, floats, dancers, more will march up Market Street then south on Main Street beginning at 6 p.m.

This year’s Clinton parade 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.

The following weekend’s Oak Ridge’s Christmas parade will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday. 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.

Theme of the Oak Ridge parade this year is “Home for the Holidays.”

Oliver Springs will hold off until 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, for its annual Christmas parade.

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

The opening ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. on the stage in front of the middle school, with a reading of the Christmas story by the Rev. David Seibers.

That will be followed by an afternoon of live music from the same stage, along with activities on the lawn in front of the middle school and in the Lions Club Pavilion, next to the stage.

There will be hay-wagon rides for the first time this year, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Children’s activities at the Winter Festival will include crafts in the Kids’ Korner in the Betty Ann Jolly Library, along with games, archery, face painting, and the popular Reindeer Maze in front of the middle school.

The parking lot behind the middle school will be open for free parking, and there will be golf cart shuttles available from the parking lot to the festival “Village” in front of the middle school and the school cafeteria, where lunch will be served.

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.

This year’s vendors will also feature funnel cakes, cotton candy, cake pops and other items, as well as 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 tables and booths in the Lions Pavilion.

Displays 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 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.

More events

to come:

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 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. for “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.





This Week

Tree Lighting: Rocky Top on Thursday, Dec. 5, 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Rocky Top Parade: Downtown, Friday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m.

Tree Lighting: Clinton Community Center, Friday, Dec. 6. Event begins at 5 p.m., lighting at 6 p.m.

Tree Lighting: A.K. Bissell Park, Oak Ridge, Friday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m.

Clinton Parade: Downtown, Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m.

Norris Parade: Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m.