By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Hometown Holidays in Grayson has already started, and Grayson Tourism Director Lana Axtell said that residents and visitors can expect this year’s event to be bigger and better. The event, which kicked off on November 29, will run throughout the month of December and into the first week of January.
The month-long celebration will include special activities such as the Visit with Santa, the Hometown Holidays Train, a Visit with the Grinch, a Vendors Market at the Nazarene Church, a story time reading at the library, and food trucks on Pomeroy. And on Saturday, December 6 at 5:30 p.m. there will be a parade on Main Street.
A list of times, dates, and activities can be found on tourism’s social media accounts, including a new Instagram account.
Two popular draws this year are the skating rink and the Festival of Trees. The skating rink will be open on Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m., on Saturday from noon until 8 p.m., and on Sunday from 1 until 5 p.m.. The Festival of Trees (admission free) is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m., and on Sunday from 1 until 5 p.m. Axtell said the Festival of Trees especially has grown this year, with between 25 and 30 trees on display. The bidding on the trees is set to end on December 6, with the winners being notified on December 8.
Bringing Hometown Holidays to the streets of Grayson each year requires a lot of planning and work, Axtell said. She said she wants to thank each and every group and individual who volunteered to make Grayson brighter, including her husband who used vacation days to help set up the ice rink. Axtell also said the volunteers from Genysis were incredibly helpful with preparing the city for the events.
“We have a lot going on this week,” Axtell said of the first full week of events. “We have Girls Night Out coming up on Friday, Saturday we have a Vendors Market, and on Sunday we have a ‘Sweets and Eats’ Market. And on December 21 -22, and possibly December 23 we are having the Polar Express and we will do family movie night at the same building on127 East Main.”
All along Main Street there will be something – and likely multiple things – that will appeal to everyone. Whether it’s a local business having a sale tailored to the event, one of the many vendors, or pop-up events, there is sure to be holiday food and fun.
“I think everyone is going to have fun,” Axtell said. “And I think the Polar Express is going to be an amazing event,” she said.
That particular event is being run by the Octoberfest Queen and Court as a fundraiser to facilitate them traveling across the state to represent Grayson in different parades and events.
Her goal, ultimately, is to get people out and visiting Grayson, Axtell said. And she is confident this year’s Hometown Holidays will do just that. The ‘soft’ opening this past weekend saw 56 skaters using the ice rink and 77 people viewed the Festival of Trees. This week’s events and activities are sure to boost those and other numbers as Carter County and the surrounding areas get into the holiday spirit.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
