Breckenridge Texan

By Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

With the holiday season quickly approaching, the Breckenridge community will soon have several events on the calendar. However, some of the traditional activities will be a little different this year as community leaders continue to try and keep the number of local cases of COVID-19 as low as possible.

The Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mingle & Jingle shopping event will have extended hours, and the Christmas parade will have an extended route. The annual community Christmas tree lighting will not include a concert this year, and the Chamber’s annual banquet will be a “drive-thru banquet.”

Mingle & Jingle

This year’s Mingle & Jingle will have 21 businesses that will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.

David and Drake Bearden pose with Santa for a photo at the 2019 Mingle & Jingle event. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)

“It’ll still be the same event., as far as the evening time, that it always is,” said Carrie Holson, Executive Director of the Chamber. “A lot of our business will still do the refreshments and different things that they normally do. However, to keep from crowding everybody into the stores at one time, to help alleviate that, we’ve extended the hours, so people can spread their shopping out. We’re not cramming everybody in to 21 stores and the three hour period; we’re giving them all day.”

To encourage everyone to shop at the local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce has purchased $50 gift certificates for each of the Mingle & Jingle businesses. On Nov. 20, everyone who visits one of the participating businesses will be able to enter a drawing for the gift certificate to that business.

“You don’t have to make a purchase to enter; it’s free,” Holson said. “That’s just something that the chamber does to try to encourage everybody to visit the stores.”

Additionally, some of the businesses may hold their own drawings for additional gift certificates or other prizes.

During Mingle & Jingle, Santa Claus will be at MLR Graphics for the kids to visit with. Additionally, the Chamber is sponsoring free admission to Party Planet from 5 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 20. Parents can take their children to see Santa and then drop them off at Party Planet while the parents go shop at the participating Mingle & Jingle stores, Holson said.

Businesses participating in Mingle & Jingle include:

• Bargain Box
• Bertie & Olif
• Bunkhouse Divas Boutique
• Classy with a Little Sass
• Downtown Salon
• G.O.E. Marine
• Happy Days Antiques
• Higginbotham Brothers
• Main Street Floral & Gifts
• MLR Graphics
• Party Planet
• Pixie Dust Event Rentals
• Ridge Nutrition
• Rustic Charm Candles
• The Boutique & Co.
• The Shirt Shop
• The Vintage Butterfly
• Thurmon Furniture
• Uniquely Handmade
• Woman’s Forum
• 40 Something Cowgirls

For more details, check out the Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page.

Tree Lighting

The lights on the community Christmas tree, located in downtown Breckenridge in Foundation Park at the corner of Walker Street and Breckenridge Avenue, will be turned on at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20. The lights on the Stephens County Courthouse and other downtown buildings will be turned on at the same time.

However, there will not be a ceremony or concert as there has been in the past.

Small-Business Saturday

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, is recognized nationally as Small-Business Saturday.

The Chamber of Commerce will compiling a list of local businesses that will be open that day. And, to promote shopping at local, small businesses, the Chamber will have a drawing for $100. To enter the drawing, shoppers will need to buy something from a participating business, and then post a photo of that purchase on their Facebook page, tagging the Chamber and the business.

Chamber Banquet

Due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, large gatherings are discouraged by local, state and national health experts. So, this year’s annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet will be a “Banquet in a Box.”

“All year, the Chamber has encouraged our businesses to think outside the box, and we are having to do the same thing,” Holson said. “We made the difficult decision not to host our traditional annual banquet. However, the chamber still depends on that as a source of our revenue. So, we have decided to do a ‘banquet in a box,’ which will be a drive-thru banquet.”

To participate in the “banquet” and to help support the Chamber of Commerce, participants will purchase a ticket for $35. Then, on Friday, Dec. 4, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., ticket-holders will drive through the Breck Trade Days Barn, located just south of the City Park, and pick up their meal and enter the drawing for a $750 door prize, as well as enter their 10 raffle tickets into the drawings for the raffle prizes.

This year, instead of having drawings for dozens of different prizes, the Chamber has grouped the prizes into five raffle packages — Women’s Package, Men’s Package, Hunting Package, Liquor Package and Gift Certificate Package. Some of the items that have already been donated for the raffle packages include a Louis Vuitton handbag, an Apple Watch, a buck hunt and more. The Chamber is still taking item donations for the raffles and will announce the packages at a later date.

Additional raffle tickets may be purchased at the drive-through on Dec. 4.

The meal will be catered by Pit Stop Barbecue and will include ribeye with grilled shrimp meal.

Tickets for the Banquet in a Box must be purchased by Wednesday, Nov. 25. Tickets cost $35 each, or businesses or individuals can be sponsors of the event and buy packages that include multiple meal tickets and raffle tickets. Sponsors will be recognized with signs along the drive-through and on social media.

The Chamber will deliver the meals and raffle tickets for anyone who purchases 10 or more tickets and requests delivery.

Christmas Parade

Breckenridge’s annual Christmas parade is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. The theme this year will be “Toys, Trains and Candy Canes.”

The application deadline to have a float in the parade is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Entries can include a float or trailer pulled by another vehicle, a car or truck only, bicycle, motorcycle, walking performance group, band, Fire/EMS/Police vehicle, walking/pulling a child’s wagon, horse with mounted rider, or other type of entry.

Parade entries will be judged in front of the courthouse on the interpretation of the theme, creativity and originality.

The route has been extended this year and will end at the Breckenridge City Park.

Click here to download the parade rules and entry form.

Following the parade, the Chamber and New Destination Church will sponsor a movie in the park. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be shown at 7 p.m., and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will begin at 7:30 p.m. The Chamber will have concessions available.

The movie will be shown at the pavilion in the park. Holson said people can bring chairs or blankets and set up on the hill to watch the movie.

Gift Drive

Wallace Insurance Agency, located at 126 W. Walker, is sponsoring its inaugural Christmas Gift Drive this year for Breckenridge and Albany families that are in need.

Jessica Holmes with Wallace Insurance said the agency is working closely with local schools to identify children who are in need. The agency will accept new toys, gift cards, cash donations, clothing, shoes, hats, and gloves. because the children need more than just toys, Holmes said.

Items may be dropped off at the following places: Wallace Insurance Agency in Breckenridge, Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce office, East Elementary School, and the Albany Chamber of Commerce. The deadline to drop off items will be Friday, Dec. 18.

Cutline, top photo: Chasity Hash-Blevins provided the musical entertainment at the 40 Something Cowgirls shop during the 2019 Mingle and Jingle event. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

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