The Polk County Cooperative Extension will again host a bus excursion to the 51st annual Southern Christmas Show at the Park Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This year’s trip will occur on Monday, Nov. 12, when participants will board the bus beside the Columbus courthouse at 8 a.m. and return the same day by 5 p.m. Bus capacity is limited to 50 guests, so interested parties are encouraged to reserve their seats as soon as possible by emailing Kerry Jones at kjones24@ncsu.edu or calling the extension office at 828-894-8218.

Some highlights of the 2018 show include over 400 holiday-themed merchants, dozens of decorated trees from the North Carolina mountains, designer showrooms, a village of miniature holiday scenes and an entertainment stage packed with festive dance, vocal and instrumental performances throughout the day. 

The bus trip has been an annual tradition for Columbus and surrounding area residents since 2005, and is a fun and social way to get into the spirit of the season, organizers said.

– Submitted by Jimmi Buell