VINTON, Va. – Vinton’s annual Christmas tree lighting and parade is back this year, starting at 6 p.m.
Executive Director Angie Chewning with the Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce said she remembers attending the tree lighting and Christmas parade as a child. Her favorite thing is Santa.
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“Santa always pulls up the end of the parade, but we have so many other [things]. The Grinch always shows up. It’s just bringing the town and the valley together to celebrate the season,” said Chewning.
They say about 15,000 people came out last year.
“We see lots of visitors to the Town of Vinton. Obviously, our residents love this tradition. It’s an annual Christmas tradition. It kind of kicks off the holiday season, and then we also see families and guests from all over the region,” said Director of Cultural Placemaking and Events Mandy Adkins with the Town of Vinton.
The tree lighting happens at 6 p.m. Afterward, a parade will take place featuring many floats, marching bands, cheerleading teams, and churches.
There will also be performances from Floyd Ward Dance.
“We do it every year, it’s a very fun experience,” said Lilli Mercedes with Floyd Ward Dance.
While this event kicks off the holiday season, it also helps to put Vinton on the map.
“Our restaurants our businesses always stay open and are packed but what it does is it also shows people what we have, and then hopefully they’ll come back another day when it’s not quite as crowded, but they’ll come back and go to our restaurants and our shops and just come to our Vinton,” said Chewning.
Here’s a look at road closures that will be in place due to the parade. All roads will be closed from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.:
| Street Closed | Closed From | Closed To |
|---|---|---|
| E. Washington Ave | Bypass Rd | Gus Nicks Blvd |
| S. Maple St | Washington Ave | Jefferson Ave |
| Cleveland Ave | S. Poplar St. | 1st St. |
| S. Pollard St | E. Washington | E. Virginia Ave. |
| Jackson Ave | Walnut Ave | S. Poplar St. |
| Lee Ave | Walnut Ave | S. Poplar St. |
| Walnut Ave | Lee Ave | W. Jackson Ave |
In addition to this, a westbound lane near the VWM of Washington Ave will be closed at 4 p.m. so that floats can easily enter the War Memorial parking lot.
The Town of Vinton Walnut Avenue public parking lot will be open for community members to parking during the parade.