Feeling a little scroogey? Get into the spirit this weekend with city’s annual Christmas parade, W.Va. Dickens Festival and more

Monica Zalaznik
November 28, 2023

BUCKHANNON – Santa Claus is coming to town on top of a ladder truck during the City of Buckhannon’s 2023 Christmas Parade.

The parade will take place Friday, Dec. 1, with the lineup beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the parade commencing at 6 p.m.

According to a press release from the city, groups do not need to register in advance to participate. They should simply gather on Madison Street, and the route will remain the same: the parade will travel from Wendy’s up Locust Street/Route 20 onto Main Street in front of the Upshur County Courthouse, then down East Main Street before ending at the Buckhannon Fire Department.

Buckhannon Fire Chief JB Kimble said the firefighters started organizing the parade before he started working there, and it has remained an annual tradition ever since.

“The Buckhannon Police Department always does the Trunk or Treat, and we do this, and it’s all about the kids,” Kimble said. “Everybody wants to know the theme, and it’s Christmas. We just like to get the community out to start the festivities of the season.”

After Santa makes an appearance in the parade, he will be at the Buckhannon Fire House at the Public Safety Complex on Florida Street to meet all interested children and hear what they want for Christmas.

The Christmas Parade will cause Main Street, Sedgwick Street, South Kanawha Street and Madison Street to be closed Dec. 1 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. All vehicles parked along the parade route must be moved one hour prior to the start of the parade, or they will be towed, per city Ordinance 454.

Main Street from Route 20 to South Florida Street, South Spring Street from Main Street to Madison Street, and South Kanawha Street from Main Street to Colerider Street will also be closed Saturday, Dec. 2, from noon to 6 p.m. for the W.Va. Dickens Christmas Festival and Faire.

“The activities for the festival will start at 11 a.m., and we’ll have vendors on Main Street and down at Jawbone Park,” organizer Becki Westfall said. “Travis Foster will have his ice rink up and running. Main Street will be shut down at 11 a.m., meaning you will not be able to drive on Main Street. The only means of transportation on Main Street will be horses.”

The Buckhannon Community Theatre will also put on a performance of the holiday classic, “A Christmas Story,” at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Colonial Arts Center.

But that’s not the only option for yuletide fun Saturday evening. Fezziwig’s Ball, scheduled for 7-11 p.m. at the Buckhannon Opera House, will serve as the grand finale of the Dickens Christmas Festival and Faire. You can purchase tickets to that event at the Upshur Visitors Center/Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber, Just Cuttin’ Up Salon or on EventBrite here.

“Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and sometimes we miss the idea of Christmas and the joy that it brings, but last year when I stepped into Fezziwig’s Ball, I found it there,” Westfall said. “If you didn’t get to go to Fezziwig Ball last year, it was Christmas, it was happiness and good tidings, and we certainly encourage all of you to participate.”