For more than a month workers have been setting up trees, hanging lights, decorating the courthouse, building ice skating rinks and much more, all to be revealed this weekend.
The Christmas festivities begin at 2 p.m. Saturday for the monthly Columbia Gearheads Cruise-In, which ends at 5. Then the streets will be barricaded off in preparation for the annual Kiwanis Christmas parade, which starts at 6.
The parade this year will flow the opposite direction from the past. It will begin at the Broad Street and Park Avenue intersection, come down Broad Street to the courthouse and travel north on Main Street, ending at Mayson Avenue near Regions Bank.
Floats and participants will line up on RA Johnson Drive, and the bands will meet around the Division of Medicaid/Zellco area. Final plans for the parade and the number of participants weren’t available as of press deadlines.
Some changes with the parade include barricades going down Main Street to keep people from getting too close to the floats.
There will also be two handicapped/elderly areas available, which will allow seating for them. One area will be by the courthouse next to Jan Marie’s Flea Market and another in front of the Church on Main. The west side of the courthouse by the Marion County Development Partnership will also be available for handicapped parking.
There will be some float parking available after the parade behind City Hall. Second Street will be closed off by Second Street Bean and on the other side of Beef Alley. Parking will be available at Columbia Elementary School, First Baptist Church and First Methodist Church.
About 30 minutes after the parade will be the lighting of the Christmas tree and downtown. Then Candlelight, Carols and Claus will begin, including D.J. Don King, train and trolley rides, food vendors, Santa’s Workshop and ice skating plus some unannounced surprises.
Decorations are also being set up at the City Park and Bluff Street Park, and trolley and train rides will be available to take visitors to the parks.
Tickets for the trolley and train rides and ice skating may be purchased at the Main Street building at the intersection of Main and Second streets (former police station) opposite from the Christmas tree.
Events will continue each weekend in December along with nightly light shows.
