Mount Olive will come alive for the holidays beginning with the town’s Christmas Open House/Tree Lighting on Friday, Dec. 2.
The Rev. Lula Newkirk will serve as grand marshal for the Mount Olive Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec 3.
Santa Claus is coming to town, not once, but twice over the first weekend in December to help the town of Mount Olive usher in the holiday season.
Santa will be a highlight at the town’s Christmas Open House/Tree Lighting on Friday, Dec. 2, and will return the following morning for the Mount Olive Christmas Parade.The Rev. Lula Newkirk will serve as grand marshal.
The Friday night festivities, sponsored by the Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce, the town and Southern Bank, will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and are free to attend.
All activities will be in the Southern Bank Parklet located at the corner of East Main and South Center streets — a nice central location, Chamber President Julie Beck said.
“Friday, December 2, we’re changing things up a little bit, but we have some fun family activities,” she said. “Of course we will light the Christmas tree and town tower that will be done by Mayor Kenny Talton.
“Santa Claus is coming to town. He’ll be at his Santa House, and you can write a letter to Santa and let him know what you would like for him to bring you.”
Santa will personally write back to each child if they leave their address, Beck said.
“One thing we are doing different this year, we’re having an outdoor Christmas movie double feature,” she said. “We’re not allowed to tell the names of the movies even though I have a license for them, but one of them features a year without that guy in the red suit. The other one is a Christmas movie that rhymes with deck the halls, but it involves your favorite green ogre. So we’re excited about that.”
People are being asked to bring lawn chairs or blankets for the movies that will be shown in the grassy area near the Southern Bank Parklet.
“We’ll have a big screen up there,” Beck said. “We’ll be selling popcorn and drinks that night and Mt. Olive Pickles is going to be giving out free pickles.
“Another activity will be that you can decorate Christmas cookies. We will have some sugar cookies and the kids can put on frosting and sprinkles and whatnot.”
Santa Claus will be giving out some candy canes as well.
“You know an interesting thing is I have got my candy canes from Spangler Candy Co., but Spangler Candy Co. is in my hometown of Bryan, Ohio,” Beck said. “The Christmas parade will be passing out Dum Dums which are also made by Spangler Candy Co. So I decided I’m gonna pay tribute to my hometown this year.
“Kids will be getting candy canes from Santa Claus on Friday night and then Santa Claus will be in a sleigh in the parade on Saturday and passing out Dum Dums. So, yeah, we’re excited about Friday night’s change-up a little bit different than what we’ve been doing in the past.”
THE PARADE
Friday night’s events are just the start of the weekend festivities.
The Christmas Parade will step off at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. Line-up will begin at 9 a.m. in front of Carver Elementary School, 400 Old Seven Springs Road.
Newkirk was selected as grand marshal from nominations submitted by the public.
Newkirk and her late husband, Edward Carnell Newkirk, founded Helping Hands United Mission in Mount Olive in 1994, where they provided clothing, helped people who had fallen behind in heating bills and counseled those in need.
The mission has hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas food box giveaways for many years.
A junior grand marshal will be selected during the Friday night activities.
Children 12 and under can put their name into a hat to be drawn. The child whose name is picked gets to ride with Santa Claus in the parade.
“We’ll come down Old Seven Springs Road, Church Street, College Street, and then loop around and then it’ll end on James Street,” Beck said.
The Chamber, she pointed out, has received numerous entries for the parade that will boast four high school bands.
“We are excited about it,” the Chamber president attested. “Traditionally we have about 110 entries; I don’t know how many we will have this year because they are still coming in. But we will have a good crowd.”
Beck is searching as well for six volunteers to assist with the parade from 8:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at Carver Elementary, 400 Old Seven Springs Road.
Volunteers will get biscuits, doughnuts and hot drinks.
Anyone interested in volunteering should send an email to mtooachamber1930@gmail.com or send text to 919-738-0211.
OTHER EVENTS
Several other events will be held over the weekend.
“We’re kicking off all this on Thursday, Dec. 1, when we are having a ribbon cutting at Southerland-Burnette Event Venue, which is getting ready to open up,” Beck said.
The ribbon cutting will be held at 4 p.m.
A free open house for the new business will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.
“But also that weekend the University of Mount Olive is doing a Christmas by Candlelight,” Beck said. “That will be on Friday night, Dec. 2, at 7:30 and Saturday, Dec. 3, at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall in the Byrd Building on Wooten Street.
“So, there’s lots of things for people to do that weekend, and we’re excited about that. And you know, I think it’s good that we’re all kind of pooling our resources together and let people know what’s happening.”
Other upcoming events are:
—The III Century Singers will be in concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the First Baptist Church on West James Street. The concert is free.
—The Hillsborough Street Jazz Trio will perform at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, at Steele Memorial Library on West Main Street. The performance is free.
—The Down Home Country Christmas Show will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Dec. 20, in the Southern Bank Auditorium in the Raper Building on the University of Mount Olive campus. The costs $20 per person.
