Church Street Holiday Stroll kickstarts the holiday season

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Image: Anna Gavgani

Anna Gavgani, Staff Writer

At the end of every November, Church Street holds the most festive parades filled with children’s joyful laughter and exhilarating Christmas carols. This year, the Wolftrap Elementary School chorus took on the role of welcoming the residents of Vienna with compelling holiday songs before handing off the attention to the main event. With a warm introduction, Mayor Linda Colbert stepped to the stage and delivered heartwarming speeches to embrace Vienna’s 26th annual Church Street Holiday Stroll and opened the gates for Saint Nick’s unexpected appearance.

Hand in hand, Linda Colbert and Santa announced a final countdown before lighting up the town’s holiday tree with a magic touch that left kids and adults alike hollering out in good spirits. Accordingly, the holiday stroll had finally initiated and led onto the festive events anyone of all ages can enjoy.

The entire street emanated a toasty firewood scent that stemmed from tables with fires for roasting marshmallows in the center that scattered along the pathways, providing both warmth and an area to roast marshmallows for the special occasion. Additionally, historic buildings such as The Little Library and the Vienna Presbyterian Church were deliberately decorated to fit the theme of the holiday stroll. These buildings showcased dazzling Christmas lights around the walls with the purpose of enveloping the parade into a one of a kind thing, further contributing to the overall joyous atmosphere.

All in all, the Church Street Holiday Stroll was an outstanding experience and a great way to commence the beginnings of the holiday season in Vienna. With so many added benefits to hosting parades such as these, it’s bound to thrive within the community and grow bigger each and every year.

“It is a great way to highlight the Church Street businesses as they stay open in the evening and offer promotions. We always stop by Cocoa Vienna for hot chocolate, listen to the carolers and visit with people,” Linda Colbert said.

At every opportunity, Vienna’s community continues to expand in size and permits the bonds between citizens to strengthen. This allows further parades and events to carry on for years to come. By the time the stroll had finally ended, everyone left with a smile on their face and the tunes of Vienna Community Band’s Brass Ensemble closed the night off.