NEWS

 

DAVIDSON, NC – Christmas in Davidson, one of Davidson’s signature events, will be December 5, 6, and 7 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. each night.

Opening ceremonies begin on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. with the arrival of Santa Claus on the town green. Children can visit Santa at Davidson College Presbyterian Church’s Congregation House at 218 Concord Road each night.

Other event highlights include:

• a live nativity, complete with live animals,
• strolling carolers and other live entertainment,
• a doggie fashion show,
• an ugly holiday sweater contest, and
• a wide variety of food offerings.

Guests can expect to find unique gifts at our many specialty shops.

Visitors can also enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides that depart regularly from Davidson Town Hall. Again this year, we’re offering the ability to pay for carriage ride tickets online to expedite the process. Please visit http://www.townofdavidson.org/carriagerides for information and to register.  Visitors can also sign up at the booth in front of town hall each night (while tickets last).

Downtown Davidson and the South Main district will be participating in this year’s event. Additional parking will be available in the Homewood Suites and Harris Teeter parking lots at the Circles@30, and a free trolley service will run continually between downtown, South Main, satellite parking areas, and some of our neighborhoods. Please see details below.

The Doggie Fashion Show is on Friday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m. on the Davidson Public Library stage. Participants can register at http://www.christmasindavidson.com/doggie_fashion_show.htm.

The Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest is on Saturday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m. on the Davidson Public Library stage.  No registration is required – simply show up in your festive sweater!

“TapSnap,” an interactive photo booth on the town green will be back again all three nights. Participants will receive free printed photos to take home. A collage of all photos taken during Christmas in Davidson will be uploaded to the Town of Davidson’s Facebook page (please like us at “Town of Davidson, NC – Town Hall”).

“We are looking forward to a few new attractions this year as well as the traditional favorites of Christmas in Davidson,” said Economic Development Manager Kim Fleming.

NOTE: Christmas in Davidson in a community-gathering event – a chance for friends, family, and neighbors to come together and celebrate the season. All individuals are welcome, regardless of religion, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity, or faith.

 

Street Closures

Each evening at 4:00 p.m., Main Street from Concord Road to Jackson Street will be closed to traffic so citizens can enjoy walking to all of the shops, restaurants, and activities.  Lorimer Road from Concord Road to the CVS parking lot will also be closed.  Accessible parking will be available in the library parking lot along Lorimer Road, and an attendant will be present to allow drivers access.

 

Trolley Service

We offer trolley service around town at the Circles@30, downtown, and at the South Main commercial district; look for trolley stop signs in each location. For detailed stop information, please visit http://www.christmasindavidson.com/parking.htm.

Trolleys run from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. each evening on a continuous loop of about 15 minutes, starting at the farthest points from town.

For more information on Christmas in Davidson, including a listing of everything going on each night and a map of trolley stops, please visit www.christmasindavidson.com or pick up a program at town hall.

 

North Mecklenburg Christmas Parade

The 37th annual North Mecklenburg Christmas Parade begins on the corner of Griffith and Main streets in Davidson on Saturday, December 7 at 1:00 p.m. and proceeds south on Main Street (Hwy. 115) to Old Canal Street at the entrance to Antiquity in Cornelius. The streets being used for parade staging (Jackson and Watson from Depot to Delburg, Griffith from Main to Sloan/Beaty, and southbound Main from Beaty to Griffith) will close starting at 10:00 a.m. Main Street from Beaty Street in Davidson south to the Cornelius border will close at noon and will re-open at approximately 3:30 p.m.

For more information on the parade, including detour maps, please visit www.townofdavidson.org/parade.

 

Parade Grand Marshals

Tony Abbott (Davidson) and Don and Bridget Rainey (Cornelius)

Anthony “Tony” S. Abbott was born in San Francisco and is admired by many in Davidson and throughout the state for his poetry and acclaimed novels. Tony married his wife, Susan, and they moved to Davidson in 1964 for both of them to work at Davidson College. Dr. Tony Abbott is the Charles A. Dana Professor of English Emeritus at Davidson College and served as Chair of the English Department and Director of Creative Writing for many years. In 2015, he won the North Carolina Award for Literature, the highest honor given by the state in recognition of his significant contributions in literature and public service. Tony is involved with many groups in Davidson. He regularly teaches DavidsonLearns classes, has volunteered and directed nine plays with the Davidson Community Players, and over 50 years ago became a class leader at Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

For the Town of Cornelius, Don and Bridget Rainey co-founded TopDeck Foundation in 2015.  TopDeck, a 501 (c) 3 charity, raises money for programs that support the mission and morale of the Cornelius Police Department. TopDeck holds annual fundraisers and has donated body armor, honor guard uniforms, an ice maker for the department, swearing-in anniversary gifts, meals for firearm and SWAT training attendees, quikclot kits, and more. TopDeck most recently donated dual-purpose motorbikes for accessing the greenway.  For the parade, Don and Bridget will be wearing crazy Christmas clothes!