One of the highlights of the year in Rutherford College is its nighttime Christmas parade, and the Town Council got an update on parade preparations at its December meeting on Monday night.
Town Clerk and Events Coordinator Terra Brieno explained that this year’s parade, set for 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, will run in the opposite direction from parades of recent years.
Lining up for the parade will begin in the parking lot of High Country Community Health, and entries will step out onto Malcolm Boulevard directly in front of the legendary Speedway Grill.
The parade will then proceed north for what Brieno termed, “one merry mile of holiday cheer,” before ending at Carnegie Drive and the parking lot of the First Baptist Church.
At the end of the parade, when full darkness has fallen, the town will light up the sky with fireworks launched from the Greenway Park behind Town Hall.
“The best part of enjoying the fireworks,” Brieno said, “is that you can see them from anywhere along the parade route. You don’t have to move an inch.”
Other holiday events sponsored by the town include:
Cookies With Santa at Town Hall at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11. Mayor Yates Jensen has been sternly warned by Brieno not to eat all the cookies intended for Santa and the kiddies.
A Statler Brothers-style Christmas show will be presented by the Blue Ridge Edition at the Thursday, Dec. 18, gathering of the Sunshine Gang senior citizens group, set to begin at 10 a.m. in Town Hall.
Town Hall will be closed Dec. 24, 25, and 26 for the Christmas holiday, as well as on New Year’s Day, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
Council also approved its meeting schedule for the upcoming year, with regular meetings occurring on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
The only exception will be in September when the meeting will be shifted to Monday, Sept. 14, to avoid conflict with the Labor Day holiday.
The council’s annual retreat will be held on Monday, March 16, from 6-9 p.m., while the annual budget workshop will be held on Monday, May 18, at 6 p.m.
Finally, Town Manager Jessica Bargsley announced that town-provided garbage pickup will be switching from Fridays to Tuesdays effective immediately.
Bill Poteat is editor emeritus. He may be reached at 828-445-8595 orbill@thepaper.media.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.