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The sights and sounds of Christmas are upon us.
The Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association will kick off the holiday season in Orangeburg with a musical program at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, at Stevenson Auditorium. This collection of local talent is free and open to the public.
Immediately following, everyone is invited to walk downtown and enjoy the lighting of Memorial Plaza, which will take place at approximately 7:45 p.m. Mayor Paul Miller will welcome attendees to the Plaza, followed by a Christmas blessing by the Rev. Dr. Michael Smith, pastor of St. Andrew's United Methodist Church. Honorees chosen to turn on the Memorial Plaza lights are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Ayers. The city of Orangeburg will serve hot chocolate to those in attendance.
On Monday, Nov. 24, the city will hold the annual lighting of the Children's Garden Christmas and Kids' Walk at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to congregate in the lower parking lot at the entrance of Edisto Memorial Gardens.
Following a Christmas blessing by the Rev. Kristen Richardson-Frick, pastor of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Dr. and Mrs. Ben Pendarvis will have the honor of lighting the Children's Garden Christmas. The honorees for lighting the Kids' Walk are Mr. and Mrs. Buddy Pough.
Immediately following the lighting ceremony, attendees will be able to walk through the Kids' Walk and visit with Santa under the gazebo.
After visiting Santa, everyone is encouraged to walk down Riverside Drive toward the Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center. In the Lusty Gallery, attendees can view and bid on trees and wreaths as part of the annual Mayors' Festival of Wreaths and Trees, and the South Carolina State University Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Richard Beckford, will perform a free concert from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the gallery. Hot chocolate will be served in the Terrace Garden.
The Children's Garden Christmas is lit from 5 to 10 p.m., and the Kids' Walk is lit from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 24-Jan. 1. Admission is free. This annual event is coordinated by the City of Orangeburg Parks and Recreation Department.
Riverside Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic at 5:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, for the lighting of the Children's Garden Christmas and Kids' Walk. Riverside will reopen to one-way traffic at 8:30 p.m. that evening following the event.
Also, from 6 to 10 p.m. Nov. 24-Jan. 1, traffic on Riverside Drive through Edisto Memorial Gardens will be one-way from the Memorial Fountain on Russell Street toward the Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center. Individuals leaving the gardens can continue straight on Waring Street to Windsor Street, then turn right to return to Russell Street. Vehicles traveling south on Riverside Drive toward the gardens will be routed to Park Street, where they can turn right on Windsor to reach Russell.
Additional parking for the Kids' Walk is available in the upper parking lot on Seaboard Street at the intersection with Amelia Street. Visitors can then take the walkway to the lower parking lot to begin the Kids' Walk. Directional signs will be posted throughout the display to help with traffic flow.
Special to The T&D