Christmas “Inn” Our Town is a tradition like no other in the Upstate. Please feel free to tag us on Facebook (@cityoffountaininn), Twitter (@fountaininn44), or Instagram (@fountaininnsc) with your holiday photos with the hashtag #InnOurTown.
Over at the Younts Center for Performing Arts, the Fountain Inn Chorale should be able to get you into the holiday spirit as they present their tenth anniversary Christmas concert, “World of Glory” on Tuesday, November 27th at 7:30 p.m. Back by popular demand is “Christmas with The Ball Brothers” on Friday, November 30th. Lastly, be sure to check out Younts Christmas Cabaret from December 7th – 15th.
We kick off the 2018 Christmas “Inn” Our Town festival with the 6th Annual Rudolph Run at Night on Saturday, December 1st. Running enthusiasts from all around will participate in this 5k for adults & one mile run for kids. All proceeds from this event benefit FIKE: Fountain Inn Kid Enrichment Center, an after school and mentoring program for under resourced boys and girls. Registration is available online at http://cofipar.siplay.com/site/ and costs $30 for the 5k and $20 for the kids run. This unique evening event features streets lined with luminaries, beautifully decorated homes, and runners wearing a red Rudolph nose!
Next up on our holiday festivity list is the annual Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade. As always, the parade will be on the first Wednesday in December, which this year is December 5th, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Many consider this one of the best Christmas parades in the Upstate.
The yearly tree lighting ceremony will take place on City Hall grounds on December 6th at 5:30 with music performed by the Upstate Senior Band prior to the tree lighting. p.m. This is also when we kick off three weeks of our main attraction…traditional horse-drawn carriage rides through downtown and the Inn Circle neighborhood, which will continue through Saturday, December 22nd. Each carriage holds 16 people; all tickets are $8.00 per person, $6.00 for Seniors 55 & up; and children under three years of age are free. You can purchase your carriage ride tickets ahead of time online at www.fountaininnevents.com/christmas-inn-our-town. On the website, you can also register your house for the Holiday Home Decorating contest and enter the Gingerbread House contest.
New this year to our festival is “Frozen by the Fountain”. This event will feature characters from the Disney movie, Frozen. The characters will be set up at the Fountain Inn Rotary Park, which will be decorated as a Winter Wonderland. Frozen themed music will be playing while families can take pictures with their favorite characters from the popular movie.
Other highlights of the 2018 festival include craft/food vendors, kids entertainment such as a trackless train, carolers, movies, and live music. The Jake Bartley Band will be playing on December 8th; the Synergy Twins on December 15th; and The Flashbacks on December 22nd.
We certainly hope you will keep us INN mind for your holiday plans.
Shawn Bell is the City Administrator of Fountain Inn. For more information, go to www.fountaininn.org, call 864-862-4421, or email shawn.bell@fountaininn.org.♦
