Main Street Greenwood and the Greenwood-Leflore Chamber of Commerce are teaming up to create a fun-filled weekend to kick off the holiday season with Red and Greenwood.
This event will feature well-known Greenwood favorites like the Lighting of the Leflore County Courthouse and the 78th annual Roy Martin Delta Band Festival and Christmas Parade, as well as the outdoor holiday movie and the much-anticipated ice(less) skating rink.
“This is always a big holiday weekend for Greenwood,” said Beth Stevens, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. “We have started adding other elements to make it bigger. Most of the activities are free and something the whole family can come out and enjoy. It’s a great weekend for Greenwood.”
The annual Lighting of the Courthouse, one of Main Street Greenwood’s longest-running events, will begin the weekend. The event will start at 5:30 p.m. at the courthouse and will feature a welcome and prayer by the Leflore County Board of Supervisors. Christmas carols and sing along led by Becky and Jim Palmer will follow the welcome.
Brantley Snipes, executive director of Main Street Greenwood, will announce the Main Street Awards, which return after a hiatus. Snipes said Main Street ran an online campaign where people could vote for their favorite retailers, shops and window displays downtown. The St. Francis of Assisi choir will perform after the awards are handed out. Dale and Emily Riser will follow with a presentation for the American Cancer Society.
The Salvation Army’s Lts. Benjamin and Wendy Duel will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will kick off the Angel Tree and celebrate the Salvation Army’s other holiday fundraisers like Adopt-A-Family and the Kettle.
The Salvation Army will also provide hot chocolate.
At 6:30 p.m., the event will be capped when the Leflore County Board of Supervisors light the courthouse, creating a bright, sparkling outline of the historic building. The event will also feature holiday giveaways, and the randomly-selected winner of a $150 downtown Greenwood shopping spree will be announced.
The winner will be selected from those who respond by Wednesday to Main Street Greenwood’s social media campaign on Twitter or Facebook with a reason why he or she likes to shop in downtown Greenwood.
The chamber’s outdoor holiday movie will start at 6:45 p.m. The movie this year will be “Arthur Christmas” and will be located at the Staplcotn parking lot, located on the corner of Howard and Washington streets.
A group from North Greenwood Baptist Church will set up a concession stand, and proceeds from the sales will go to the church’s youth mission projects.
“We try to make the movie very family friendly and holiday themed,” said Stevens. “This is the third year for the outdoor movie night. We’ve been really pleased with the turnout each year. The cold hasn’t stopped anyone. Last year, we had about a couple hundred people.”
The movie is free and open to the public. Those attending are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs.
On Friday, the ice(less) skating rink will be ready for use. The rink will be set up at the downtown arboretum between the Veteran and Keesler bridges. The surface will be made of synthetic ice, which operates like real ice. A $5 fee provides skates and 30 minutes of fun. A liability waiver must be signed before taking to the ice, and parents must accompany children to sign their waivers.
“The community has been very supportive of this event. People who have never sponsored a Main Street event made donations for the skating rink,” said Snipes. “This is fully supported by our community, and we had a lot of great sponsors.”
The rink will also be open on Saturday. Snipes said volunteers are still needed and will receive two free passes.
“It creates an opportunity for something that has never been done in the Delta,” said Snipes. “It looks like ice and acts like ice.”
On Friday, starting at 4 p.m., the Roy D. Martin Band Festival and Christmas Parade, Mississippi’s largest and oldest Christmas parade, will be held.
This year’s theme is “Candy Canes and Christmas Carols.”
The parade has an average of 100 entries, and this year’s featured band will be from Delta State University. There will also be high school bands performing from Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas and from across the state, as well as local high school bands. The parade will also showcase local beauty pageant winners, including Ms. Senior Mississippi Betty Aden of Greenwood.
“We get people to come from all over the state. It’s a big draw, and, hopefully, the other events will encourage visitors to stay, shop and eat at our restaurants.”
A new 10-foot tall snowman mascot will be added to the event, which will walk with the popular blowup nutcracker and penguin mascots.
The parade will start at the corner of Walthall and Carrollton, make its way to Grand Boulevard and end at the intersection of West Park Avenue and Grand.
Johnson Street will be blocked from George to Fulton streets starting at 9 a.m.
Floats will be judged between 1 and 2 p.m.
Parade entries will be accepted until the day before the event; however, entries submitted after Tuesday morning will not be seen in the parade lineup printed the Greenwood Commonwealth.
A fireworks show over the Yazoo River will conclude Friday’s festivities.
“Any time you can partner with another organization and do something fun in the community, it’s a good thing,” said Stevens. “We have our old traditions, and we’re starting new traditions as well.”
To volunteer or for more information about events sponsored by Main Street Greenwood, call 453-7625.
For more information about events sponsored by the chamber or to submit a parade entry, call 453-4152 or visit www.greenwoodms.com.
nContact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
