Community Readies for Christmas Parade and Twilight Tour

The Brevard/Transylvania County Chamber of Commerce, alongside the Heart of Brevard, invite the community to join in Christmas festivities scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm on Saturday, Dec. 3rd.

The 45th annual Christmas parade is themed “Christmas in the Forest” to honor the Pisgah National Forest centennial. Twilight Tour will immediately follow the parade at 4 p.m. The parade and festival are free to the public.

“The Chamber is honored to coordinate the parade both to showcase some of our great local organizations and to provide some holiday cheer to our community,” Chamber Executive Director Clark Lovelace says. “We greatly appreciate Davidson River Outfitters and The Oaks of Brevard for supporting our efforts by sponsoring this year’s parade.”

“Twilight Tour continues to be one of the premier Christmas festivals in Western North Carolina and we always look forward to this wonderful opportunity to bring local businesses, non-profit organizations and families together to celebrate the season,” says Heath Seymour, executive director of Heart of Brevard.

Brevard/Transylvania County Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade

The parade will follow its usual route leaving Brevard High School at 3 p.m. and then continue down Broad Street, ending at Brevard College. As is tradition, the antique and classic cars will precede the parade. As a new treat this year, immediately following will be special performances by Pisgah Dance Academy beginning at South Broad Park and ending at Brevard College.

In honor of Pisgah National Forest’s 100th Birthday the Chamber has chosen the theme “Christmas in the Forest” (think woodland creatures and cozy campfires), and was able to secure Smokey Bear, representing the National Forest Service, as the Grand Marshal. Each year the Chamber also selects a Parade Marshal, a group that positively impacts the community through its acts or achievements. The fitting selection for this year’s parade is the newly formed Pisgah Conservancy. Their mission is to provide funding to preserve the natural resources and scenic beauty of the Pisgah Ranger District and to enhance the recreational experience of all visitors to Pisgah. So, for all who love our Pisgah, please come out and show your support for Smokey and the Pisgah Conservancy. It promises to be a great parade!

If your business or organization is interested in participating in the parade, please pick up an application at the Chamber of Commerce at 175 East Main Street, Brevard, call 883-3700 or email [email protected]. In order to participate in the parade, advance registration and a $10 fee per organization are required. Please note that all floats will be asked to enter from the Greenville Highway side of Gallimore Road to avoid congestion on Country Club Road. Unfinished floats will need to go to Medical Associates’ parking lot on Gallimore Road to be completed before entering the High School parking lot. The deadline for registering for the parade is November 23, 2016.

Twilight Tour: Brevard’s Mountain Holiday Festival

Local craft vendors will line the streets of downtown Brevard during Twilight Tour. Local school students from the Brevard High School Band and Chorus, Brevard Academy Band and Chorus, Brevard Elementary Chorus and Rosman High School Chorus will be performing at the event. Brevard Ballet students will also perform just before the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Live music will be found at all corners of the festival alongside fun kid-friendly activities. The star of the show, Santa Claus, will be available for pictures in the Aethelwold building. Food trucks will be on site for food and beverage. For full details, please visit the Twilight Tour Facebook page at www.facebook.com/twilighttourbrevard.

Interested vendors should reach out to Nancy Coleman by calling (828) 884-3278, by emailing [email protected] or by sending a message through the festival’s Facebook page.

The Brevard College annual Lessons & Carols concert will conclude the Twilight Tour. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, in The Porter Center for Performing Arts’ Scott Concert Hall and is free and open to the public.

(Image via Brevard/Transylvania County Chamber of Commerce.)