Holiday fun
By Joyce Lavene
Senior Staff Writer
There is so much holiday fun to be found locally, if you know where to look. The Weekly Post is happy to spotlight the large and small events that will help make your family’s holiday a little brighter.
Take advantage of less driving time and more time to have fun by participating in these events and buying from local merchants who put them on. You will ensure future events being available and help your community.

Badin Christmas:
The Badin Christmas tree lighting event will be held from 6 pm – 7 pm on Tuesday, December 1 in the Town of Badin. The Town of Badin comes alive during the Christmas season. To celebrate, the Community Christmas will include a tree lighting ceremony, a Christmas Concert and other musical acts.

Norwood Christmas:
The Norwood Christmas parade will be held from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm on Wednesday, December 2. The town of Norwood and Center Rural Fire Department are proud to sponsor the Norwood Christmas Parade. The parade route begins at Sun Trust Bank and will proceed north on U.S. 52 stopping at Bojangles. Entries are welcome and free of charge.

Oakboro Christmas:
Oakboro Regional Museum of History’s rotating exhibit for November and December is “Toys — Everchanging,” with an emphasis on the differences over the decades. The museum will be open from 5-7 p.m. December 3, the night of the parade. The museum is free to the public; donations accepted. Activities prior to the actual tree lighting begin at 6 pm on the porch of Oakboro First Baptist Church with an appearance by Miss Outstanding Teen. At 6:15 pm, there will be a performance by the Oakboro First Baptist Church Handbell Choir. At 6:30 pm, the Tree Lighting Ceremony to be held in Oakboro Town Mini Park will begin with a welcome by Oakboro Mayor Joyce Little.
All businesses are encouraged to decorate their storefront windows for the decoration contest. Houses and yards within the Oakboro city limits may enter the decoration contest by registering at the museum at 704-485-4222. Plaques will be awarded in four categories: Overall Window, People’s Choice, Most Festive, and Best Home and Yard Decoration.
Judging will take place the evening of November 30. Plaques will be awarded to winners at the Tree Lighting Ceremony held in Oakboro Town Mini Park on December 3.
Christmas Tour of Homes is sponsored by the Oakboro Regional Historical Foundation as a fundraiser for the preservation of Oakboro Presbyterian Church. It will be from 2 – 5 pm on December 13. Tickets are $10, at Oakboro Regional Museum. Call the museum at 704 485-4222 for information.
The Oakboro Parade is sponsored by Oakboro Fire and Rescue. It will begin at 7 pm on December 3. The parade line-up will begin at 5 pm in front of Oakboro Fire Department on College Street. Call Jim Cameron at 704 485-1900 to register an entry in the parade. Some type of lighting on parade entries is encouraged since this is an evening parade.
The Fifth Annual Oakboro Luminaries, sponsored by the Oakboro Lions Club to raise money for White Cane and Clinical Eye Research, will take place from 5 – 9 pm on December 3 during Christmas festivities. The cost is $2 per bag. Luminaries will be displayed at theRailroad Museum property this year.

Historic Gold Hill
Country Christmas in the Village will be held on December 4 and 5. Shops will be open from 5 pm to 9 pm. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. Visit with Santa, enjoy live music. Featuring antiques, Amish crafts, handmade quilts, gemstones, metal and metal art in the historic village setting.

Reed Gold Mine Christmas
The annual Reed Mine Golden Christmas event will take place on December 5, 10 am – 4 pm and December 11 and 12, 6 pm – 8:30 pm.
This is the only place you can take a candlelight tour during the day. Special tours are given by costumed interpreters with the mine illuminated by lanterns and candlelight, much as it would have been when the mine was active. Tours focus on the miners who were working and how they would have celebrated the holidays, including the Germanic origins of our modern day celebrations.
Enjoy refreshments and cookies provided by the Cabarrus County Extension and Community Association. For those who simply cannot get enough Christmas music, local choirs will be presenting their programs in the auditorium, while craftsmen display their quilting, lace, toy making, and other amazing talents.
This year we will be expanding the event because of our partnership with Cooperative Christian Ministries to help those in need this holiday season. On December 11 and 12, 6 – 8:30 pm, we will be having a special reception, including refreshments and hors d’oeuvres, a showing of A Garfield Christmas in the auditorium, and special lantern tours around the site and underground mine.
Reservations will be required for our evening activities. All Proceeds and food donations will go to help Cooperative Christian Ministry achieve its mission of providing support for those in need in the local community. Thanks to our local sponsors, The Fresh House, The Daily Grind, and Walmart of Locust, this event is free of charge. Please join us to celebrate the Christmas season and lend a hand to those less fortunate this year.
A Golden Christmas is free to all visitors, including our lantern/candlelight tour on December 5. Call 704-721-4653 for reservations.

Palestine Christmas Parade
Palestine Christmas Parade will be held on Sunday, December 6 at 2 pm. The parade goes through the crossroads of Palestine, near the Stanly County airport.

Bost Grist Mill
The annual Christmas Open House will take place on December 6 and 7. Come view our Christmas lights after dark! Come bring in the Christmas season with us early. The mill will be decorated for Christmas with lights, greenery, and special added touches for the holidays. Light refreshments will be served. Come sample our product lines from Coopers Mill, and Willow Creek Mill. No admission charged.

Mt. Pleasant Christmas parade
The Mount Pleasant Holiday Celebration and Christmas Parade is scheduled for December 12. The parade will start at 11 am. At 12:30 pm, the Mount Pleasant Library will host “The Christmas Cabaret.” The nationally renowned Grey Seal Puppets will perform a special holiday show of Santa’s nervous head elf. There also will be singing babies, chatty reindeer and a rendition of “The Night Before Christmas.” The event is free. You can meet Santa at the Mount Pleasant Enrichment Center until 2 pm. Parents are encouraged to bring their cameras for pictures. At 5:30 pm, Mount Pleasant will have a tree lighting at town hall.

Stanly County Christmas Parade
The Stanly County Christmas Parade is scheduled for 6 pm on December 14. It will follow the traditional parade route through downtown Albemarle. For information, call 704-983-2709.

Christmas Cantata
Prospect Baptis Church Sanctuary Choir will present their Christmas Cantata on Sunday, December 24 at 7 pm. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year will also be presented at Sunday, December 20 at 11 am and again on Monday, December 21 at 7 pm. The Children of Prospect Baptist Church will present their Christmas musical, Christmas Hang Ups, on Sunday, December 20 at 6 pm. Call for more information – 704-982-6167.

Holiday Mail for Heroes
The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are excited to be joining forces for the third year to Send a Touch of Home to military service members, veterans, and their families in the United States and around the world. The Holiday Mail for Heroes program will feature the collection, sorting and distribution of holiday cards for service members, veterans and their families. 2009 Holiday Mail for Heroes Program
End Date: All cards must be postmarked no later than Monday, December 7. Cards postmarked after December 7 can’t be guaranteed delivery and may be returned to the sender. This deadline ensures enough time to sort and distribute cards before the holidays.
Mailing Address: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791- 5456.
Card Guidelines: Ensure that all cards are signed. Make cards more meaningful to a wide variety of recipients by using Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran rather than any more specific language. Note: Cards addressed to specific individuals cannot be delivered through this program.
Limit the number of cards to 15 from any one person or 50 from any one school class, business or group. If you are mailing a large quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes. Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.
Don’t send letters. Only cards are being accepted. Don’t include e-mail or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships. Don’t send cards with excessive amounts of glitter. Because cards may be received by wounded service members and veterans in hospitals, large quantities of glitter could aggravate existing health problems. Don’t include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process. For more information, visit www.redcross.org.