By Staff
Arts and crafts showjoins flotilla, paradeas weekend headliners
By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
Take a break from Christmas shopping, mailing Christmas cards and hanging Christmas decorations by attending some of the holiday-related events and activities taking place this weekend in Washington.
The Inner Banks Holiday Extravaganza kicks off today with the Beaufort County Arts Council’s annual Holiday Arts and Craft Show, which begins at noon today. The annual event runs until 8 p.m. today. On Saturday, the show runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 2008 show features a variety of original, quality hand-made items for sale by more than 45 artists and craftspeople from across North Carolina. Call (252) 946-2504 for more information about the show.
For the first time in its history, the annual Christmas HeART of the City concert will be presented at the Turnage Theater in downtown Washington at 8 p.m. today.
The Beaufort County Choral Society, directed by Laura Scoble, performs with the River City Ringers. Special guests include the ECU Jazz Ensemble, along with dancing Santas and snowmen and some surprises.
The concert is free to the public, but those attending it will need tickets, which will be distributed at the door before the concert tonight. The concert is presented by the Beaufort County Arts Council in cooperation with the City of Washington and the Turnage Theater. Call 946-2504 for more information about the concert.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Washington’s Christmas parade begins its trek through downtown’s streets. Floats, marching bands and, of course, Santa Claus riding a fire truck are just a few components of the parade organized by the Washington Kiwanis Club.
Providing an opportunity to see how some Washington homes and buildings have been decorated for the Christmas season, the Turnage Theater Holiday Homes Tour takes place from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
About 10 homes within walking distance of downtown will be featured on this tour. Advance tickets are $20 each and are available through the Turnage Theater box office, (252) 975-1191. Tickets will be $25 each the day of the tour.
With Washington’s waterfront on the Pamlico River being one of the city’s major assets, it is no wonder the river serves as the backdrop for the sixth-annual Christmas Flotilla, sponsored by Downtown Washington on the Waterfront.
The event begins at 5: 30 p.m. with a sing-along led by Vertical Praise. The flotilla is scheduled to pass in front of the reviewing stand at 6 p.m. The flotilla includes the arrival of Santa Claus on a yacht. Two nonprofit organizations will sell food and warm drinks. As it did last year, the event will help collect toys for the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots campaign. Unwrapped toys will be collected at a site on the waterfront. The toys are distributed to needy children in Beaufort County. The event is free to the public. For more information about the event, visit www.washingtononthewater.com or call (252) 946-3969.
Another HeART of the City concert, this one at Washington’s First Presbyterian Church, features Market Street Brass and begins at 7 p.m. today.
Consisting of music-faculty members from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the group’s seasonal program is free and open to the public. The concert is presented by the Beaufort County Arts Council in cooperation with the City of Washington. Call (252) 946-2504 for more information about the concert.