Christmas in Tryon means dancing, music, caroling, food and drink, cheerful neighbors, Santa and a crackling bonfire during Tryon’s Christmas Stroll, Friday, Dec. 6 from 5-8 p.m.

Santa arrives atop a fire truck to start the celebration, delighting all by lighting Tryon’s Christmas tree in the new downtown St. Luke’s Plaza.  Here, hot chocolate will be served while tappers and cloggers from Dance Dynamic perform.

Christmas favorites by Polk County Middle and High School choruses fill the night air at the clock tower.

Music by The Schweitzer Strings drifts through the holiday night at 6 p.m., starting at The Shops of Tryon, then moving to the plaza. Celtic cello music by Clifford and Janet Jones begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Shops of Tryon, where The Tryon Arts & Crafts also have a temporary shop. Outside, The Episcopal Church of The Holy Cross Choir will ring Christmas bells and sing carols through the streets.

Two Christmas bonfires will add glow and warmth to the celebration.  Thompson’s Landscaping will host one bonfire, complete with a marshmallow roast.  A Trade Street bonfire will brighten sing-along caroling.

Brightly lit shops will offer complimentary snacks, holiday beverages and special sales. Tryon’s wonderful restaurants will offer dine-in delights, and Buck’s Pizza offers pizza by the slice.

The evening of celebration fills Tryon streets, with Trade Street closed to vehicle traffic from Palmer Street to Maple Street from 5-8 p.m.

Parking is available in the lot across from Skyuka Fine Art before 5 p.m. Evening parking is available behind the shops of Trade Street, at Thompson’s Landscaping and on Depot Street.

– article submitted by Paul and Lynn Weidman