Other Holiday Happenings Planned
A full season of holiday events are on tap to end the 2018 calendar year, and a well-known name will make a stop in Rocky Mount as part of the festivities.
Brooke Simpson, a finalist on Season 13 of NBC’s hit show, “The Voice,” will serve as grand marshal of the Rocky Mount Christmas Parade on December 2, 2018, starting at 3pm. The downtown Rocky Mount parade will feature Simpson, who has released two singles. “Perfect” and “2am” were completed since Simpson finished in third place on “The Voice.” Simpson currently is touring the United States while recording songs. Simpson will add to what is an annual tradition in downtown Rocky Mount. The parade also will feature local marching bands, colorful floats, and more.
Holiday fun doesn’t wait until December. Local actors will continue the tradition of performing “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The first performance is scheduled November 29, 2018, 7pm, at the Dunn Center for the Performing Arts. Brooke Edwards, artistic and managing director at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences, will direct the adaptation which includes Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang.
Performances continue December 6-9, 2018 with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and the 50th annual Christmas Chorus at the Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences. The December 6-8 shows will begin at 7:30pm, while the December 9 show opens at 2pm.
Holiday celebrations will continue with the Imperial Centre’s “First Friday” on December 7, 2018, 6-9pm, featuring the tree lighting, Santa Claus, carriage rides, and more. First Friday events are free.
Two days later on December 9, 2018 the Imperial Centre will hold its annual “Winter Wonderland” — a four-hour event (1-5pm) that provides carriage rides, arts and crafts, pictures with Santa Claus, and admission to the Children’s Museum and Arts Center — all for free.
Arts and crafts options also are available at the Imperial Centre through clay ornament workshops from 10:30am to 12:30pm on November 29 and December 6, 2018. The fee is $20 for residents and $30 for nonresidents.
The Rocky Mount Senior Center will hold a Christmas Gala on December 10, 2018, 11am-1pm, at Nash Community College for just $25.
The seniors will also hold a Christmas Light Tour on December 20, 2018. The Senior Center Christmas Chorus will perform at various local nursing homes. For more information and to sign up for the Christmas Chorus, visit the front desk at the Rocky Mount Senior Center or call 252.972.1152.
The Kwanzaa Kickoff celebration will be held on December 16, 2018, 3-6pm, at the Imperial Centre. This new, free event will celebrate and introduce African-American heritage and Kwanzaa principles through interactives, African drum and dance performances and exhibitions featuring Kente cloths and drums. Kwanzaa is December 26, 2018 through January 1, 2018.
For more information on events at the Imperial Centre and the Christmas parade, visit imperialcentre.org, or call 252.972.1266.
For more information about the senior events and activities, call the Rocky Mount Senior Center at 252.972.1152.
Source: Tameka Kenan-Norman, City of Rocky Mount NC
