Gray Thursday, Black Friday, Shop Local Saturday, Cyber Monday – the Thanksgiving holidays bring a full slate of opportunities to kick off the Christmas season. In downtown Hartsville, however, anyone searching for the perfectly unique and local gift will get their first crack at it a week before Thanksgiving, when Main Street Hartsville’s Downtown Holiday Open House brings extended hours, special deals, and free, memory-making Christmas activities. The extended-shopping-hours evening is coming Thursday, Nov. 19, running from 6 to 9 p.m., and will offer participants free photos with Santa as well as free milk and cookies at Hartsville City Hall, 100 E. Carolina Ave. Also at City Hall, visitors can learn more about and buy tickets for “Jingle ARRRGH the Way!,” the Christmas Pirate Adventure Musical which is coming on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. to the Center Theater as the first date in the Hartsville Children’s Theatre series.
Elsewhere in downtown, free horse-drawn carriage rides will be leaving from Centennial Park, found at Fifth Street and Carolina Avenue, which will also become the home of a snow machine for the night. A cadre of professional Christmas carolers will tour around downtown throughout the evening. Burry Bookstore, found at 130 W. Carolina Ave., is offering story time with Mrs. Claus at 6:30 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 8 p.m., along with hot chocolate and carols from the Hartsville High School Singers.
“Downtown Holiday Open House is arriving toward the end of what has been an unimaginably electrifying year for downtown Hartsville, full of new construction, façade improvements, and the opening of 15 new downtown businesses,” Suzy Moyd, Executive Director of Main Street Hartsville, said. “This event has always as one of our retailers’ most exciting dates on the calendar and it kicks off the season in the heart of our downtown. Our Main Street Hartsville partners are looking forward to working together for this night of celebration and having a great Christmas.”
“But to quote the Grinch: ‘It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas means just a little bit more.’ Celebrate with your neighbors on Thursday and share your love for each other, your hometown and that ‘little bit more.’”
For more information about these events, contact Main Street Hartsville at info@mainstreethartsville.org or at 843.383.3015.