DOWNTOWN BRENHAM KICKS OFF CHRISTMAS STROLL FRIDAY WITH SHOPPING & ‘COLD NIGHTS, HOLIDAY TUNES’
Two days of Christmastime fun begin today (Friday) in downtown Brenham.
The City of Brenham’s annual Christmas Stroll and Lighted Parade will have festive activities all through today and tomorrow (Saturday), like holiday shopping, a live concert, entertainment for the kids, the Christmas tree lighting at the courthouse square and the lighted parade.
Numerous vendors will set up today at the Jingle Bell Market at the Ant Street Inn from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and at the First Friday Farmer and Artisan Market on the square from 3 to 6 p.m. The First Friday Market will have live music from Jake Honeycutt.
Tonight, fan-favorite band Suede will return to Brenham for a special “Cold Nights, Holiday Tunes” concert at 7 p.m. in the Commerce Street parking lot. Suede will play a range of hits from the 70’s to today, as well as some Christmas songs. The Stray Katz Car Club will be on hand for a car cruise-in. The concert is sponsored by Dahmann & Associates, Brenham National Bank, Must Be Heaven and Seidel Schroeder.
Also tonight, Unity Theatre will show a performance of “Fruitcakes” at 8 p.m.
Several streets in downtown will be closed for today’s events, including: East Commerce Street, from South Douglas Street to South Market Street;
South Park Street, from East Alamo Street to the end of the Commerce Street parking lot; and South Baylor Street, from East Alamo Street to the railroad tracks.
Street closures will occur in stages. The Commerce Street parking lot will be closed starting at 8 a.m. to construct the concert stage and prevent cars from entering the event area. The immediate roads will be blocked at noon, with the remainder closing at 4 p.m. They will stay closed until 11 p.m.
KWHI’s Craig Montana will introduce Suede on stage for tonight’s concert.
Events continue in downtown tomorrow with Breakfast with Santa, a ticketed event at The Barnhill Center. Children can have breakfast sponsored by McDonald’s in Brenham and take part in kids’ activities, enjoy face painting and take pictures with Santa.
The Jingle Bell Market at the Ant Street Inn resumes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A Kid Zone will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. in downtown, with a snow village, life-sized snow globe, carriage rides and rides on the 1950 Invader Fire Truck. The snow village is sponsored by Kelli Dozier State Farm Insurance.
At 5 p.m., local Girl Scouts will gather at the courthouse for caroling and the lighting of the Christmas trees. The lighted parade, which has a theme of “Peace on Earth”, begins at 6 p.m.
Starting at noon, both Main Street and Alamo Street will be closed from South Market Street to South Austin Street to allow for all of the activities in downtown.
The parade will follow the traditional route, beginning at the intersection of Main and Market Street and ending at the intersection of Market and Alamo Street. Parade staging will take place along Main Street from Market Street to Chappell Hill Street, while parade unloading will occur on Alamo Street from Market Street to Ross Street. Roads will be blocked between 4 and 10 p.m.
The City of Brenham says the parade will take place rain or shine, unless there are heavy storms and lightning. A final determination will be made by noon tomorrow.
After the parade, kids can sit with Santa at the courthouse gazebo and take rides on the Invader Fire Truck at the Brenham Fire Museum. Another showing of “Fruitcakes” at Unity Theatre opens at 8 p.m.
More details about the Christmas Stroll are available at https://jingle.cityofbrenham.org.
KWHI and KTEX-106 will be on hand tomorrow to broadcast from the Christmas tree lighting and parade.
