News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Smithville will hold its 22nd annual Christmas on the Square Saturday to celebrate the season and the increasingly popular downtown.
Downtown business owner Karyn Walker said the Smithville Merchants Alliance teams up with the city to plan the yearly event. Walker said the evening showcases downtown Smithville as a destination for tourism and local families.
“Our community is just growing by leaps and bounds, and the unity that has just been shared within the entrepreneurs downtown is just spreading like a wildflower throughout Dekalb County,” Walker said. “It’s just a great family event.”
The event will begin with a Christmas parade at 4pm, followed by live window displays at 5:30pm. Walker said downtown shops will have people acting out iconic Christmas movie scenes in the windows, leaving attendees feeling like they have walked back in time.
“Just that family spirit throughout the whole event, you can walk in any shop and you’re going to be greeted by a happy person,” Walker said. “We just really want to make Smithville a destination. An experience. This event is an example of one of our experiences for sure.”
Walker said the event shows how much support Smithville and Dekalb County have poured into the historic downtown square.
“The city employees, along with the entrepreneurs and the merchants down here, all just band together and just really want to give the community a great time, a great family time to kick off the holiday season,” Walker said.
Walker said this will be the city’s third year featuring live window displays. Walker said Walnut Street will be closed and covered in fire pits and picnic tables where families can make smores and watch the parade come down Main Street.
“Downtown Smithville and our county as a whole, there’s no reason to go to another county,” Walker said. “We have everything we need here, and there are great families and the city and county as well that have invested in this downtown area to make it a great place to experience Tennessee as a whole family.”
