Holly Day on the Neuse Launches
Downtown Holiday Shopping

The community Christmas tree was installed Nov. 16, 2009 by the Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation staff on the lawn of the Lenoir County Courthouse in preparation for the Dec. 1, 2009 lighting ceremony.

The third annual Holly Day on the Neuse jumpstarts holiday shopping in downtown Kinston Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 with the 6:00 pm ceremonial lighting of the community Christmas tree on the lawn of the Lenoir County Courthouse

Local government leaders City Manager Scott Stevens and County Manager Mike Jarman will help emcee the festive kick-off. They will be joined by WNCT-TV weatherman David Sawyer.

Providing entertainment will be the Boys and Girls Club Glee Club and the Arendell Parrott Academy Orchestra. Walt Disney princesses will make their third annual appearance at the tree lighting.

When the plunger sparks the Christmas tree, all the trees along Queen Street will be illuminated.

After the tree lighting ceremony, participants will be invited to visit the seasonally decorated shops along the Herritage and North Streets shopping corridors. A horse and buggy will transport the young and young at heart from the Farmers Market to the Neuse Regional Library and the Community Council for the Arts for holiday festivities. Downtown restaurants will be open for dining during the Holly Day event.

Below are the times and places for Holly Day entertainment organized by Jacob Mewborn, music director at the Queen Street Methodist Church:

Plans for the 2009 festive occasion were announced by a coalition of downtown organizations and agencies sponsoring the event: The Chamber of Commerce, City of Kinston, Community Council for the Arts, Farmer’s Market, Gordon Street Christian Church, Herritage & North Street boutiques, Lenoir County, Neuse Regional Library, Parks and Recreation, Pride of Kinston, and the Queen Street United Methodist Church. This marks the third year that the group has sponsored the downtown holiday event.

Two New Businesses set for Queen Street

The soon-to-be-built Civil War Museum in downtown Kinston is attracting new neighbors already. North Carolina planners and local advocates for the new museum, with construction slated to begin in 2010, have long predicted that the museum will be a magnet for other developments along Kinston’s main drag.

David Favre checks out the shelving for Mockingbird Books in preparation for opening the new store in mid-December at 113 North Queen Street.

Two new businesses have been announced just across the street from the museum site in the 100 block of N. Queen Street: David and Lori Favre have purchased 113 N. Queen Street and are revamping the building to make Mockingbird Books where people can buy used books.

Jeff Lovett, owner of Southern Heritage Folk Art & Antiques, stands in front of his new store at 115 N. Queen Street. He is moving his art and antique store from a Herritage Street location.

Jeff Lovett has acquired the next door building at 115 N. Queen to install his Southern Heritage Folk Art and Antiques shop, moving from his current N. Herritage Street location.

Both Lovett and the Favres hope to have their stores open in the near future. The promises of the new museum are coming true.