Weekend events get communities in the spirit

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year...” or so the song goes. This weekend, local communities will greet the Christmas season with parades, concerts and tree lightings to help boost the holiday season up another notch.

FAYETTEVILLE

Fayetteville will host its 15th annual Christmas tree lighting Dec. 1. The public is invited to gather at Heritage Park, with festivities scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. The traditional lighting of the tree will be followed by complimentary carriage rides with Santa until 9 p.m.

Dickens characters will serve free hot chocolate and Georgia chestnuts. The event will kick off with performances by Heritage Christian Church Children’s Chorus, Fayette Idol winners Callie Routon and Teira Litman, The Georgia Singers, Glenn Rainey and Kim Bowers-Rheay and The Joseph Sams School.

Heritage Christian Church will continue Tiny Tim’s Celebration of Giving fund raiser at the event which will benefit The Joseph Sams School. This year’s honored guest, performing the actual “lighting” of the tree, will be Fayetteville’s own Tiny Tim, eight year old Caleb Feather who is a student from the school.

Prior to the tree lighting event, everyone is invited across the street to a pre-lighting Victorian Christmas open house at the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife Museum from 12 to 3 p.m. Free ornament making demonstrations and goodies for the children will be provided.

For more information about the event, please call Main Street at 770-719-4173.

PEACHTREE CITY

Peachtree City will host the third annual Hometown Holiday event, also on Dec. 1. This free family event is sponsored by the Peachtree City Parks & Recreation Department and Dogwood Church.

Christmas at the Fred will kick off the event at 6 p.m. at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. This musical program will feature local musicians, dancers and actors from Dogwood Church.

Hot chocolate, coffee and sweets will be available before the program begins to help put everyone in a festive mood. After the concert, join Peachtree City Mayor Harold Logsdon and Santa Claus in the Trail of Lights golf cart procession, that will lead the way from the amphitheater to city hall.

The duo will ride down the trail in a decorated golf cart, complete with speakers so all to follow can enjoy music, from 7:30 to 8 p.m.

Everyone is invited to follow Santa in their cart from the amphitheater to city hall along the east shore of Lake Peachtree or meet at City Hall Plaza. At approximately 8 p.m., Logsdon will light the Grand Christmas Tree at the plaza. Santa will be available to hear Christmas wishes from all the children present.

The event also seeks to help out those in need and is requesting that attendees bring canned good or non-perishable food items to the event for donation. Donations will aid the Real Life Center, a non-profit organization designed to provide help for hurting people by giving them a means to cope with the financial, emotional, and spiritual hardships of life.

Collections will be made at the gate of the amphitheater.

Pets and alcoholic beverages are prohibited at this family event. For questions or more information, contact Peachtree City Parks and Recreation Department at 770-631-2542 or visit www.ptcrecreation.org.

SENOIA

Coweta County will also get into the holiday spirit this weekend as Senoia hosts Light Up Senoia on Dec. 1.

The historic city will kick off the celebration with a festival and parade through downtown and the lighting of the Christmas tree at Main Street Square.

The parade will include 40 decorated floats, live music and entertainment by the East Coweta High School Band and other local groups. The Car Guys, Charlie Filkins and Scott Sargeant, of 92.5FM, will emcee the event.

For the kids, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in attendance, along with pony rides by Country Junction. Parents may bring their cameras to take a photo of their child with Santa.

New this year, children will be able to purchase small gifts on their own at the Secret Santa Workshop. The workshop, along with the food court, will open at 4 p.m. Choices for hungry spectators include Chick-fil-A, Buck's Pizza, burgers and hot dogs by the ECHS Band Boosters, fried Twinkies by the Boy Scouts, funnel cakes and other homemade goodies.

The big parade down Main Street begins at 5:30 p.m. Main Street, from Johnson Street to the Senoia Coffee Company, will be closed at 3 p.m. for the festivities.

Light Up Senoia is sponsored by the Senoia Downtown Development Authority and the City of Senoia. For further information, contact Suzanne Helfman at 770-599-8182 or Gail Downs at 770-599-9155.

NEWNAN

Main Street Newnan will crank up the holiday spirit this weekend with three days of holiday fun. The weekend starts with Alive After Five on Friday, Nov. 30 from 5-8 p.m. Participating downtown merchants will be open late for holiday shopping and select merchants will be offering refreshments. Harold Seay and the Boogie Shoes will be performing on the East Court Square. Seay is the former drummer for KC and the Sunshine Band. The band is sponsored by 96.7 Lite FM who will be giving away prizes.

Market Days on the Square will be held on Saturday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Over 60 vendors will offer great handmade, homegrown and homemade gifts. Items include handmade Christmas ornaments, homemade baked good, jellies and bread, holiday cards and homemade jewelry. Two Elves Face Painting will be on East Court Square offering free face painting. This will be the final Market Day of 2007.

The big event, Main Street Newnan’s annual Christmas parade, will be held on Sunday, Dec. 2 beginning at 3 p.m. The parade begins at Temple Avenue Park and continues on Jackson Street and LaGrange Street to Newnan High School. The theme of this year’s parade is “Christmas Through the Years,” and the parade will include floats, walking groups, decorated cars and trucks and marching bands.

Santa Claus will also be featured as he arrives in a vintage fire truck.

Floats will be judged and winners will receive $100, $50, and $25 for first, second, and third places, respectively. A “Best In Show” award will also be presented with a plaque.

For more information about all Main Street Newnan holiday events, please call the Main Street office at 770-253-8283 or visit www.mainstreetnewnan.com.

TYRONE

The Tyrone Christmas Parade Foundation will host the town’s annual Christmas parade on Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

The parade will consist of professional floats, marching bands and a battle of the bands for a cash prize to the winner, church floats for a cash prize to the winner, a scholarship pageant to select a queen and court and other surprises. Special guest stars include recording artist Jason Coley Byrd, Miss Georgia USA and Santa Claus. This year’s paraded will be televised on Comcast and on WXIA Channel 11 Dec. 22 at 2:30 p.m.

The parade will kick off at the Legacy Theater and continue on Senoia Road and disband at Redwine Park. The opening number of the parade features the Doris Russell dancers doing their rendition of The Rockettes “March of the Toy Soldiers.” The parade is sponsored by United Community Bank, Comcast, the town of Tyrone and local businesses. The lighting of the tree at Triangle Park will follow the end of the parade.

For more information, call Jennifer or Lynda at 770-487-4694.

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