As the saying goes, ‘the show must go on,’ and that’s exactly the case with tonight’s Victorian Christmas festivities in spite of a rainy forecast for our area. Chances for precipitation are at 100% throughout much of the day and, according to the National Weather Service, there remains a chance of severe weather. Event organizers have announced a revised plan for tonight’s celebration that will allow the event to go on as planned with some modifications.
“Ultimately, the safety of our community and our visitors is our highest concern,” said Sarah Baggett, Marketing Manager. “We want everyone to enjoy Victorian Christmas and shop with our downtown merchants, however the rain makes our normal set up difficult. To ensure a safe event, we have elected to relocate much of our entertainment, including our most popular attractions, inside the Municipal Building and Auditorium.”
All community acts that were scheduled for the amphitheater tonight will instead be performed in the Municipal Auditorium. This includes the dance and chorus groups from Thomas County Central High School, the F.I.R.M. Dance Company/Off Broadstreet Centre for the Dance Arts, Dance Academy, and the Thomasville High School Jazz Ensemble. “We know these groups have worked very hard to prepare for their performances, so they deserve to have a full house tonight,” said Baggett. “Moving them indoors will ensure that these performances can be enjoyed in comfort.”
The ever-popular visit with St. Nick has also been relocated to the ground floor of the Municipal Building. “We know our youngest citizens have eagerly been awaiting their opportunity to visit with St. Nick, so moving him indoors will help us continue with this Victorian Christmas staple without interruption,” she said. “We will have a great photo op prepared, so parents should bring their cameras and be ready to capture the moment.”
While outside food vendors and some of the street performers are cancelled, some entertainment will be located throughout the Municipal Building. Stilt walkers will roam the building for photo ops and entertainment will be located in the front lobby leading up to the auditorium. “The hot air balloon photo op will also be set up in the lobby,” said Baggett.
The Junior Service League’s Children’s Christmas Shop will be moved to Council Chambers along with the Thomasville History Center’s Christmas card station. Other children’s crafts provided by the Thomas County Public Library will be in the interior hallways of the building as well.
The heart of Victorian Christmas, however, is the downtown shops and restaurants. April Norton, Main Street and Business Development Director, said that merchants will be open for business as scheduled. “Our merchants look forward to Victorian Christmas each year,” Norton said. “They put in a great deal of effort preparing for this event and will be ready to welcome everyone tonight as planned. While we won’t have outside food vendors this evening, our downtown restaurants will be open.”
Should any business have a change in their hours of operation for this evening, Norton said the information will be shared on Downtown Thomasville’s social media accounts and on their website, Thomasvillega.com. “As of this morning, all of our downtown businesses plan to move forward with their special Victorian Christmas extended hours,” she said. “I encourage everyone joining us tonight to grab their rain jacket or umbrella and stroll downtown visiting our wonderful merchants and restaurant this evening.”
Victorian Christmas festivities will kick off at 6:00 p.m. and will wrap up at 9:00 p.m. For more information, click here. For questions, please contact the Thomasville Visitor’s Center at 228-7977.