Ellijay’s town Christmas event will officially move to December this year.
Previously held the day after Thanksgiving, Light Up Ellijay will now take place Saturday, Dec. 3.
It’s hoped that moving the parade and other festivities back a week from the busy Thanksgiving weekend will allow more who are busy during that holiday to participate and attend, noted Pam Burns, Downtown Ellijay Business and Community Association chair.
“(We’ve been hearing it’s hard to get) volunteers because they want to spend time with their families that weekend,” said Burns. “We also couldn’t have the high school band in it as long as it was on Thanksgiving week, but we want them (to participate). They’re a community band, and we need them in the parade.”
The schedule of Light Up events will get started with Santa pictures in front of the courthouse beginning at 3:30 p.m. Student choruses from Ellijay Elementary, Clear Creek Elementary, Mountain View Elementary and Clear Creek Middle School will sing carols on the square from 4-6 p.m.
Santa will light the town Christmas tree at 6 p.m., right before the parade starts. Vendors will be set up in the River Street city parking lot throughout the day.
“We flipped the order of the tree lighting and the parade (for the first time) last year, which worked really well,” Burns said. “That way, you have the tree lit during the parade.”
The parade will start on McCutchen Street near First United Methodist Church, then wind through the town square/roundabout area and head back toward the starting point, noted Burns.
“We’re also going to ask the merchants to have an open house that afternoon, but that’s still in the works,” she added.
New ornaments and lights will adorn the town tree courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce, Burns said.
“These decorations have not been put on the tree before. The chamber paid for new decorations and two new wreaths (for the downtown streetlights),” she added. “We’re working on growing that whole thing, and we’re going to try to get more new wreaths to replace (some of the older ones) next year. We want to add something to make it more festive every year.“
Burns can be contacted for parade and vendor applications by calling the Gilmer Arts Gallery at 706-635-5605 or by emailing gallery@gilmerarts.org.