Downtown Sylva Christmas Parade is This Saturday, Dec. 1
The Downtown Sylva Christmas Parade is coming! Don't miss it. The parade is this Saturday, Dec. 1, starting at 5 p.m.
The event is a downtown tradition, hosted by the Downtown Sylva Association. This year's parade could be one of the biggest ever, and will features some new elements:
* All parade vehicles and floats will be required to be decorated in a holiday theme.
* To encourage the implementation of DSA's theme, "Home for the Holidays," a cash prize will be awarded after the parade to the winner of the decoration contest.
* No candy or treats will be thrown from the floats and vehicles themselves, but walkers beside vehicles can dispense candy and goodies to onlookers. (Safety and insurance issues prevent throwing the candy from moving vehicles.)
This year's route begins on Scotts Creek Road, with vehicles and floats coming down Asheville Highway and picking up walkers and the Smoky Mountain High School Marching Band at the United Community Bank parking lot, just before the intersection with Highway 107.
The parade then turns toward downtown on Main Street towards the old courthouse. The parade ends at Mark Watson Park on West Main Street.
Shops and restaurants are encouraged to stay open for business in the evening. Many will have special holiday sales and activities on parade day. Sylva's town decorations already are gracing light poles and the traditional tree at the base of the steps of the old courthouse.
Also, the "Pictures with Santa" 2nd annual fundraiser for the Bridge Park Project takes place from 2 to 5 p.m., before the parade. A photo with Santa in the courtyard of Restaurant 553, next door to the Sylva Herald on Main Street, will be taken by local photographer Terri Clark and developed by Livingston's Photo. Both are donating their services, so all profits go towards the Bridge Park project, the park to be built on the town's municipal parking lot on Railroad Avenue. The cost for a 5x7 photograph is $15. Extra photos are available for $5. Each photo includes a holiday frame card.
Drivers should be aware that Main Street will be closed on Saturday, starting in the early afternoon. Traffic will be rerouted to Jackson Street, where vehicles can follow Evalina Street back down to Main Street and then continue west on Main Street towards Highway 107.
Sylva and Jackson County police and emergency personnel will be onsite to help direct traffic and parking, which will be available at the site of the future Bridge Park, at Town Hall and at the public parking lot across from Mill & Main Restaurant.
It promises to be a good year for a Christmas parade, so be sure to come and bring the entire family! Remember to dress warmly.
For more information, call DSA Director Sarah Graham at 586-1577 or write her at info@downtownsylva.org.
Additional coverage by The Sylva Herald is in their online article (click here) about the parade. (The Sylva Herald is not affiliated with Jackson County Magazine.)
The event is a downtown tradition, hosted by the Downtown Sylva Association. This year's parade could be one of the biggest ever, and will features some new elements:
* All parade vehicles and floats will be required to be decorated in a holiday theme.
* To encourage the implementation of DSA's theme, "Home for the Holidays," a cash prize will be awarded after the parade to the winner of the decoration contest.
* No candy or treats will be thrown from the floats and vehicles themselves, but walkers beside vehicles can dispense candy and goodies to onlookers. (Safety and insurance issues prevent throwing the candy from moving vehicles.)
This year's route begins on Scotts Creek Road, with vehicles and floats coming down Asheville Highway and picking up walkers and the Smoky Mountain High School Marching Band at the United Community Bank parking lot, just before the intersection with Highway 107.
The parade then turns toward downtown on Main Street towards the old courthouse. The parade ends at Mark Watson Park on West Main Street.
Shops and restaurants are encouraged to stay open for business in the evening. Many will have special holiday sales and activities on parade day. Sylva's town decorations already are gracing light poles and the traditional tree at the base of the steps of the old courthouse.
Also, the "Pictures with Santa" 2nd annual fundraiser for the Bridge Park Project takes place from 2 to 5 p.m., before the parade. A photo with Santa in the courtyard of Restaurant 553, next door to the Sylva Herald on Main Street, will be taken by local photographer Terri Clark and developed by Livingston's Photo. Both are donating their services, so all profits go towards the Bridge Park project, the park to be built on the town's municipal parking lot on Railroad Avenue. The cost for a 5x7 photograph is $15. Extra photos are available for $5. Each photo includes a holiday frame card.
Drivers should be aware that Main Street will be closed on Saturday, starting in the early afternoon. Traffic will be rerouted to Jackson Street, where vehicles can follow Evalina Street back down to Main Street and then continue west on Main Street towards Highway 107.
Sylva and Jackson County police and emergency personnel will be onsite to help direct traffic and parking, which will be available at the site of the future Bridge Park, at Town Hall and at the public parking lot across from Mill & Main Restaurant.
It promises to be a good year for a Christmas parade, so be sure to come and bring the entire family! Remember to dress warmly.
For more information, call DSA Director Sarah Graham at 586-1577 or write her at info@downtownsylva.org.
Additional coverage by The Sylva Herald is in their online article (click here) about the parade. (The Sylva Herald is not affiliated with Jackson County Magazine.)
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