Where do you want to be at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 4? You could have a ticket for White Christmas inside the Lincoln Theatre at 117 E. Main St., or you could stand at the curb outside as the Kaleidoscope Christmas Parade comes down Main Street. Both start at 7 p.m. on the same block.
That overlap is the one real choice in Marion's first weekend of December. Thursday, Friday and Saturday each bring a downtown event, almost all of them on the same short stretch of East Main Street. Two new shops on that stretch keep hours that fit around them. Plan the weekend by the clock, because nearly everything happens in the same few blocks.
Thursday, December 3: Merry Marion and the tree lighting
The weekend starts with Merry Marion, a downtown shopping night on Main Street from 5 to 8 p.m. It has merchant specials and free activities for kids, and the community Christmas tree lighting happens at 6 p.m.
This is the first Merry Marion since two new vendor-booth shops opened downtown in October. SWVA Sun reported that both opened the week before its October 17 story.
- Hiking Upward Antiques, 131 E. Main St., is next to the Smyth County Museum. Owners David Mitchell and Sarah Witherspoon have filled it with more than 100 vendor booths of antiques, vintage clothing and more. Weekday hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the shop also opens after hours for events at the Lincoln.
- The Rustic Pub, 212 E. Main St., is next to the former Sisters Cafe. Despite the name, Erin Curry's store is a shop, with booths selling everything from antiques to candy. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Both shops' posted weekday hours end at 6 p.m., the same moment the tree is lit. If you want to browse booths on Thursday, the first hour of Merry Marion is when their regular hours and the event overlap.
Friday, December 4: the parade or the movie
Friday is the night you have to pick. Here is how the two 7 p.m. plans compare:
| Kaleidoscope Christmas Parade | White Christmas at Friday Flix | |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 7 p.m. | 7 p.m. |
| Where | Along Main Street | The Lincoln Theatre, 117 E. Main St. |
| Length | Not posted | 7 to 9 p.m. |
| Tickets | None listed; no fee for parade entries | Online or at the door |
This year's grand marshal is Harry Howe. SWVA Sun's announcement describes a long record of local service. He founded Project Crossroads and led it from 1993 to 2024, and he has worked as a physician assistant at the Mel Leaman Free Clinic and Whitetop Clinic. He was a paramedic with the Marion Life Saving Crew, serves as chaplain of the Atkins Volunteer Fire Department, and chairs the Board of Commissioners for the Marion Redevelopment & Housing Authority.
The parade rules shape what the curb is like for families with small kids. Entering is free, but every entry has to be decorated, and candy has to be handed out, not thrown from vehicles.
White Christmas is the 1954 film, part of the Lincoln's Friday Flix series. A ticket gets you a warm seat inside on a December night. The trade-off is that you're in the theater while the parade goes by outside.
Wooden Pickle Food & Spirits at 120 E. Main St. works with either plan. Per its website, Friday dinner service runs 4:30 to 10 p.m., so you can eat before 7 or after the movie lets out at 9. Thursday dinner hours run until 9 p.m., which also covers the whole Merry Marion evening.
Saturday, December 5: out of town by day, back at the Lincoln by night
Saturday is the only one of the three days when the action moves away from Main Street during the day.
- Marion Christmas Market. December 5 is one of the Christmas Market dates at the Marion Farmers Market.
- 11 a.m.: Chilhowie Christmas Parade on Lee Highway in Chilhowie. If you saw Marion's parade Friday night, you can see Chilhowie's the next morning.
- Daytime: Hiking Upward Antiques keeps Saturday hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Rustic Pub is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- 7 p.m.: Song of the Mountains at the Lincoln, with The Seldom Scene and The Blue Ridge Girls, running until 9 p.m.
Song of the Mountains is filmed live on the first Saturday of the month, according to Visit Smyth County. In December, that first Saturday falls on the night after the parade. The Seldom Scene has played together since 1971, mixing original and traditional songs with its own takes on material by Merle Haggard, James Taylor and others. Wooden Pickle serves from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, per its website, so dinner before the 7 p.m. show is easy.
If a tree is on your Saturday list and you'd rather not cut your own, Visit Smyth County names two retailers that sell local trees in season. They are The Shops on West Main/Saltville Emporium at 115 W. Main St. in Saltville and The Farmhouse Market at 5244 Sugar Grove Hwy. in Sugar Grove.
Before and after the big weekend
On the weeks around December 3 to 5, Marion's holiday calendar has one or two things at a time. You can pick and choose without timing anything around anything else.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Marion Thanksgiving Market at the farmers market.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: The annual Albano Classic 5K Gobbler Gallop on Thanksgiving Day.
- Friday, Nov. 27: A Magical Motown Christmas returns to the Lincoln, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: The first Marion Christmas Market, which lands on Small Business Saturday.
- Friday, Dec. 11: Rhonda Vincent & The Rage: A Bluegrass Christmas Celebration at the Lincoln, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: Marion Christmas Market.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: Pass The Hat Theater Company performs Tiny Tim's "A Christmas Carol" Remembered: A Live Radio Play at the Lincoln, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
- Dec. 18: The last Marion Christmas Market on the published schedule. That date is a Friday, unlike the Saturday dates before it.
On the late-November dates, the Lincoln and the market fall on back-to-back days: Motown on Friday the 27th, the first Christmas Market on Saturday the 28th. The December 11 to 13 weekend has a concert, a market and a matinee on three straight days, but none of them overlap. The parade and the movie on December 4 are the only two events of the season that start at the same time.
If you love downtown Marion this time of year and have wondered what your own place on these streets is worth, Denise Blevins can give you a straight answer. Licensed since 1995 and working across Smyth County, Denise prices homes on what is actually selling. Get Your Instant Home Valuation, then call when you're ready to talk it through.
