|
|
Spectators watch as Jeanie Millard, Owner, Greenville Flooring and Mattress, flips a switch to illuminate a Christmas tree at the Lafayette Street pocket park in downtown Greenville on Friday as part of the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Hometown Christmas Parade” festivities. — DN Photo | Cory Smith
GREENVILLE — As Scott and Rosemary Henning strolled along Lafayette Street on Friday evening, they couldn’t help but soak in the atmosphere they were enjoying.
With their grandchildren eagerly awaiting a visit with Santa and a fresh cup of hot cocoa in each of their hands, the Greenville husband and wife took in the moment as if it were straight out of a Hallmark movie, waiting for the annual “Hometown Christmas Parade” to begin.
PHOTO GALLERY
“This was our second year coming, and it was awesome,” Rosemary said. “We came with our grandbabies, and they are so excited about seeing Santa Claus. I always love seeing all the old buildings. My husband and I love walking through and seeing what they have. It’s so cozy and wonderful downtown.”
This year’s annual celebration, in which downtown Lafayette Street is closed to traffic for a few hours to allow for the 25-minute parade to commence, once again came to life with visits from Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, numerous volunteers and a variety of businesses and organizations that participated in the parade.
Despite temperatures being in the low 20s, several hundred people gathered in the historic downtown district to take in the annual festivities.
Among those was Megan Debri of Greenville, who has made it a regular occurrence to bring her two children, Scarlett Debri, 6, and Owen Zalar, 5, to the festivities each year.
“This is a thing we’ve made into a tradition, I absolutely love doing it,” she said. “We get out early, and there’s no lines. Then there’s friendly crowds on the street for the parade every time. We just love the spirit of Christmas here. It’s something we love to do together as a little family.”
Debri’s children could hardly contain their excitement after meeting with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
“I got to get a candy cane, I got to get a picture, and I told Santa what I wanted for Christmas — a Fufu and a La bubu,” Scarlett said.
“I asked for a monster truck,” Owen added, jumping up and down with excitement.
Assisting in that spirit were Greenville High School Interact Club students, who volunteered their time once again to run two hot cocoa stands, one on either side of the street, providing free beverages to the community until they ran out of supplies.
“We do it ourselves and give it out to the community, and we also walk in the parade,” Interact Club vice president and junior Haley Dell, 16, said. “It is freezing outside, but we get to help people be warm with hot chocolate. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and I feel I’m still a kid at heart.”
“Getting to see other people’s reactions, being able to put a smile on everybody else’s face, adding joy to their day especially so close to Christmas, that makes it special,” Interact Club secretary and senior Skyler Fries, 17, added.
After the parade — which featured the Greenville High School marching band, numerous illuminated floats and emergency vehicles, and other businesses and organizations — concluded, Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chelsea Baker gathered a crowd at the small Lafayette Street pocket park for the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
In her first full week as the director, Baker said it appeared this year’s event ran as smoothly as she had hoped.
“Overall, I think it went very well,” she said. “It was so great to just to see everyone here this evening. I think there were more participants this year than last year, which led to the parade going a little longer. Overall, I think it was a beautiful event. I love seeing so many people in the community altogether at once. I’m so happy we have so many people here supporting it.”
Before lighting the tree, Greenville Mayor Jeff Scoby expressed his gratitude to the community for coming together in celebration.
“It’s wonderful to see everybody here — we have families, friends, visitors, and we’re very grateful for that,” he said. “As we light this tree, let it be a symbol of unity and the spirit of the season. May it remind us all to cherish our families and our moments together. I’d also like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a safe and happy New Year.”
Following Scoby’s speech, the crowd counted down as Jeanie Millard, owner of Greenville Flooring and Mattress, flipped the candy-cane-shaped switch to light the tree.
