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Nickelsville to Light Christmas Tree

From staff reports

Christmas time is nearly here and the towns in Scott County are planning special events to coincide with the holiday season.

Nickelsville Tree Lighting

Local residents are invited to join Nickelsville town officials as they begin the holiday season with a special tree lighting ceremony.

Set for Friday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Nickelsville Town Hall, music and refreshments will be available.

Gate City Christmas Parade

The 2006 version of the Gate city Christmas Parade is growing so large, it will take an entire to preside over the parade.

Serving as grand marshals for the annual parade are members of the Gate City High School girls volleyball team. Fresh from their three straight appearance at the Group A Virginia High School League volleyball finals where the team claimed runner-up honors, the volleyball team were specifically chosen for their outstanding play as state title winners in 2004 and 2005.

Amy Reed is the head coach of the team. She is assisted by Delonda Spivey.

Another unique feature of this parade is a time change to allow local folks to visit downtown shops before they line the streets of Gate City to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus.

The Gate City Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Gate City Fire Department, is planned for Saturday, Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. in downtown Gate City. Line-up for the parade begins at 4 p.m. at Gate City High School.

All area youngsters are invited to meet and greet Santa and Mrs. Claus, who will be distributing treats at the Scott County Courthouse in downtown Gate City.

Organizers have not designated a theme for this year’s parade but expect local churches, businesses and civic organizations to show off their own creativity.

“We ask participants to be creative and see what happens,” said Gate City Fire Chief Roger Cassell, “because we haven’t set a specific theme.”

The parade route begins at Gate City High School on Jones Street and continues past the Gate City Post Office to Jackson Street. At Jackson Street, participants will follow along the main street through the downtown area to Moccasin Avenue.

The route turns left onto Moccasin Avenue and then another left onto Water (Back Street) Street. At the intersection of Water and Kane, participants turn onto Kane Street and head back to the school grounds.

Cassell also requests that no live Santa should be represented in parade entries. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be making their annual early trek to Scott County in a horse-drawn wagon.

All entries are urged to sign up early so organizers can adequately plan for space. To register, call 386-3831.

12 Days of Christmas

Natural Tunnel State Park is certainly getting into the holiday spirit with 12 special lighting ceremonies highlighting the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”

The 12 Days of Christmas Tunnel Lightings at the park begins Friday, Nov. 24 and runs through Saturday, Dec. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. each Friday and Saturday evening.

Visitors are invited to enjoy the holiday light displays from the chairlift or the boardwalk. While viewing the lights, listen to seasonal music on Friday and Saturday nights performed by local churches and other groups. Scheduled performers include Nov. 24 – the Strickler Quartet, Nov. 25 – Natural Tunnel Choir, Dec. 1 – Thomas Village Baptist Church Choir, Dec. 2 – Richard Phillips, Dec. 8 – Girl Scout Troop from Wise, Dec. 9 – Duffield Community Choir, Dec. 15- Agape Chorus, Dec. 16 - John Kilgore Jr., Dec. 23 – Three Bells United Methodist Church Choir and Dec. 29 – Stewart Scales and Tony Scales.

Young and old can also get their photo taken with Santa in the visitor center. The chairlift and visitor center are open until 9 p.m. during each event. Concessions are also available on the boardwalk.

Any person who brings a non-perishable food item will receive a free chairlift ride for two special days. Give a Friend a Lift is slated for Friday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25. All food donations will be given to a local food bank..

The Night before the Night before Christmas celebration, set for Dec.23, features a special lighting of the tunnel and musical performances. A special lighting of the tunnel is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 23.

For more information on any events at the park, call 940-1643 or 940-2674.

Dungannon Christmas Parade

Keep those floats intact and your trucks decorated and head to Dungannon for their Christmas parade.

Beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, the parade is hosted by the Town of Dungannon. Individuals, organizations or businesses interested in having a float or -vehicle in the parade should contact the Dungannon Development Commission at 467-2306 or visit their website <www.ddcinc.org>.

All parade entries are free. Line-up begins at noon.

For safety reasons, three- and four-wheelers are not permitted in the parade.

There is no theme for the Dungannon Christmas Parade and they, too, ask no live Santa be represented in parade entries.

Nickelsville Christmas Parade

The annual Nickelsville Christmas Parade is set for Sunday, Dec. 17 at 3 p.m.

All parade entries need to be in place no later than 2:45 p.m.

For more information, call Becky Bryant at 479-1082.

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