DURHAM -- The holiday season gets into full swing this weekend, with Light Up Durham kicking things off tonight and the holiday parade and tree lighting Saturday.
Festivities begin at 7 p.m. tonight for the lighting of the Lucky Strike water tower at American Tobacco. Musical entertainment will include performances on the lawn by local school groups.
Light Up Durham promises a finale that will have those attending chasing snow flakes.
Guests will be greeted by 500 luminarias when they arrive at the American Tobacco Campus, courtesy of Girl Scout Troop 514.
This year's event also is featuring a food drive, so those attending are asked to bring kid-friendly, nonperishable foods that will be used by the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle's BackPack Buddies program. The program sends nutritious food home with kids from school over the weekend if they are in homes where food might be scarce.
The first 500 people on the lawn will receive a free light wand as a special keepsake. For more information on tonight's event, visit www.LightUpDurham.org.
On Saturday, Durham's holiday parade will wind it's way through town at 4 p.m., beginning at the corner of Blackwell and Jackie Robinson streets. Grand marshals are blues legends Cool John Ferguson and John Dee Holeman
After the parade, Cool John Ferguson will perform at 5 p.m. at CCB Plaza, 201 Corcoran St., followed by the tree lighting celebration at 5:30. Santa will be visiting with kids from 5:45 to 7 p.m., and there will be musical entertainment provided by the The Durham Children's Choir and the World Overcomers Christian Church's Frontline.
For more on the parade and tree lighting, including a map of the route, visit http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/parks/holiday_parade.cfm.
