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The Town of Boone Opens the Christmas Season with Festive First Friday on December 6

By: Adam Estabrook

With Thanksgiving behind us, Boone looks forward to the final month and holiday of the year. Wasting no time, the Festive First Friday event will take place December 6 (the first Friday of the month) in downtown Boone. This is a free event with activities scattered throughout the downtown, the earliest starting at 4 PM, the latest ending at 9 PM.

Town Hall will be open from 5 – 7:30 PM, with face painting and warm refreshments. They’ll also have snacks and public restrooms. Santa will be available at the Mast General Store from 4 – 8 PM for greetings and pictures. Mrs. Claus will also be meeting and greeting at the Downtown Boone Post Office from 5 – 7:30 PM, with cookies, crafts, and hot chocolate. She’ll be helping children write personal notes to Santa, complete with a special mailbox to send them to the North Pole.

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, an accessible exhibition center at Appalachian State University, will be opening its doors from 6 – 9 PM, with six free galleries, hot chocolate, and activities for the kids.

Appalachian Carriage will be offering rides through downtown from 5 – 8 PM, with pickup at Howard St. An entire section of Depot St. will also be closed off from traffic, making space for food trucks, a meet and greet area for the Grinch, and a sneak preview performance by the Carolina Snowbelles. And from 5 – 7:30 PM at the F.A.R.M. Café will be face painting and other activities.

For those interested in theater, the Appalachian Theatre will hold its holiday concert, the Gathering, at 7:30 PM (details and ticket information here). The Nutcracker will also be performed at the Schaefer Center at 7 PM (details and ticket information here). The Carolina Snowbelles will also be performing the following weekend, December 13, at the Appalachian Theatre.

The Jones House Solar Tree Lighting event will take place from 5:30 – 8 PM at the Jones House, with live music and caroling. The tree will be officially lit at 6:30 PM. Finally, at 7 PM, there will be a snowball fight in the Hope Pregnancy Center parking lot, with marshmallows instead of snow.

Keep an eye out for businesses open during special hours. Be sure to appreciate the decorations they leave up in their windows, as a contribution to the Christmas spirit for the evening.

This Festive First Friday all leads to the Town of Boone’s Annual Christmas Parade, taking place the following weekend on Saturday, December 14 starting at 11 AM. Following the parade, everyone is invited to the Jones House for cookies and hot cider.

Individuals or parties who are interested in participating in the parade with a display or float can fill out an application online at joneshouse.org, or call Jones House at 828-268-6280.

For additional information on these events, and upcoming events, visit joneshouse.org or downtownboonenc.com.