ASHEBORO – Holiday activities will kick into gear in Asheboro just a couple of days after Thanksgiving.
Mayor David Smith will light the city’s Christmas tree at 6 p.m. Saturday in downtown Asheboro.
That will serve as the launch of weeks of holiday events in downtown.
Compared to previous years, the lighting ceremony will be earlier on the calendar. In the past, it was held in conjunction with the city’s Christmas parade.
“We’re trying to make it a bigger thing,” said Alyssa Chapuis, public information officer for the city.
She said many visitors to downtown missed past lighting ceremonies because they were staking out spots on the parade route or caught up in other festivities associated with the parade. This way, she said, more attention can be directed to the lighting.
Plus, Small Business Saturday is also scheduled for the coming weekend as part of Asheboro’s downtown holiday agenda.
“So the tree already will be up when people come downtown,” Chapuis said.
Asheboro’s Christmas tree will come from Boyd Mountain Tree Farm in Waynesville. The tree will be located next to the train tracks adjacent to 200 Sunset Ave. Asheboro High School’s choral ensemble will perform as part of the lighting ceremony.
Other holiday activities
The Christmas parade will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 in Asheboro.
The parade route will begin at the corner of Church and Sunset Avenue, head east on Sunset to Fayetteville Street, then south on Fayetteville Street, ending at Kivett Street. It’s scheduled to last approximately two hours.
Another big event is “Christmas on Sunset” scheduled from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 13 in downtown Asheboro. This is sponsored by the Asheboro Randolph Chamber and the City of Asheboro. This is free to attendees.
There are numerous activities associated with “Christmas on Sunset.” Santa Claus will greet visitors in the lobby of Asheboro Recreation Center, where a book will be presented to youth courtesy of Randolph Partnership for Children as long as supplies last.
There will be musical performances from various school and church groups at various spots in downtown. Among the schools taking part are the chorus and band from North Asheboro Middle School, the choruses from Asheboro High School, Southwestern Randolph High School and Uwharrie Charter Academy Middle School and bands from Uwharrie Ridge 6-12 and Asheboro High School.
