Friday, November 26th
By Ann Marie Byrd, Feature Writer
Santa is coming! Santa!!! Santa!!!
For New Bernians, and folks from wide and far, the joy of the holiday season begins with the Beary Merry Christmas Kickoff and the Annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Union Point Park. This much-loved event—which begins at dusk with the lighting of the tree, and then ambles to Middle Street with the Santa Parade and the fabulous lighting of Bear Plaza—has become a holiday ritual for many families.
Beary Merry Coordinator and Chief Elf, Amanda Banks, says “A lot of family traditions are built around Berry Merry Christmas. For example, many families go to breakfast at Baker’s Kitchen the day after Thanksgiving then go and visit Santa. They can take the day to enjoy arts, crafts and games, have lunch, go shopping and then walk to Union Point Park for the kickoff. Thousands of people gather for this special day and it is truly an event that brings everyone together.”
This year, the kickoff will be held on Friday, November 26th. The Santa House opens at 10:00am in Bear Plaza, which is located in the center of downtown between Middle and Craven Street. The kickoff begins with the Annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at dusk in Union Point Park at approximately 6:00pm.
The kickoff will also include live musical performances at the lighting ceremony, as well as a DJ on Craven Street from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. Please keep in mind that downtown shops will be staying open late on November 26th to allow everyone to get a head-start on their Christmas shopping. This is a great opportunity to shop local and support downtown businesses, while at the same time enjoying the first festivities of the holiday season!
“Most everything in the event is free due to our wonderful sponsors, and there are only nominal costs to visit with Santa,” says Amanda Banks. “Compared to the cost of seeing Santa in the malls, our Santa House is a great deal!”
On November 26th, the Santa House will be open from 10:00am – 3:00pm and 4:00pm – 9:00pm.
To keep up with all of the holiday season happenings with Beary Merry, check out their website at: www.bearymerryevents.com