Christmas festival this weekend in Waynesville


How to go

What: Waynesville Christmas in the village

Where: Downtown Waynesville

When: noon to 9 p.m., today; 1 to 6 p.m., Sunday

WAYNESVILLE — An expanded and enhanced entertainment line-up, thousands of luminaries and a “small town Christmas feel” add up to make the biggest Christmas in the Village festival in Waynesville’s history, organizers say.

Christmas in the Village, which kicked off Friday night, from noon to 9 p.m., today, and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday along Main Street and surrounding streets in downtown Waynesville.

“This will be the biggest Christmas in the Village yet,” said Dawn Schroeder, head of the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve added a lot of entrainment and there are a lot of family-friendly events going on throughout the weekend.”

The crux of the annual festival is Waynesville’s antique and specialty stores, which will be open throughout the festival. The stores will be open expanded hours and many will serve treats to shoppers working their way through a lengthy Christmas list.

“Literally every store in our downtown has a perfect Christmas gift for somebody,” Schroeder said.

Besides the shopping opportunities, the festival will provide a conduit to a small town Christmas feeling. Thirteen hundred luminaries will line the street after dark.

“Every year its a big deal in town,” said Carol Vacca, an organizer of the event. “The festival is our gift to the community.”

For the first time, a heated entertainment tent will be set up at the corner of Main and Miami streets, with musical performances throughout the day. Performers include the Dayton Mandolin Orchestra, Flying Cloud Vintage Dancers, Hallmark Southern Gospel Quartet, Chuck the Great Magician, the Waynesville High School band, the Kings High School saxophone quartet and Elvis impersonator Tom Laurents.

Carriage rides around town will also be available at a cost of $5 per adult and $2 per child.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.

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