WYTHE THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Volume 1, Issue 1
Wythe County Offices
December 2011
Foster Falls lights up for the holidays Marking its eighth anniversary, the Foster Falls Festival of Lights is expected to make Wythe County shine even brighter as it opens the holiday season on Dec. 2, 2011 and continues lighting the park on Dec. 3. The charity event draws thousands annually and benefits countless local communities. Dawned with over 200,000 lights, the New River Trail State Park welcomes families each year to visit Santa, take a carriage ride and celebrate the opening of the holiday season. The event started out with a few hundred visitors but has grown in every aspect. “Each year the festival continues to expand, with sparkling little lights as well as visitors,” said Patrick McFall, park interpreter. Visitors are drawn not only to the view of sparkling structures, but also to the holiday activities. The scene includes inflatables, carriage and tractor rides, Santa town, and complimentary hot chocolate, coffee and pastries. In 2010, over 900 visitors experienced the wonder with 155 children visiting Santa. Over 975lbs of canned food items and 205 unopened toys were collected as entrance donations. All of this took place in only one night. According to Robert Leonard, New River Trail State Park Chief Ranger, the festival is
Local Holiday Events • Festival of Lights
Sat Dec 3, 2011 Time: 4 p.m. Location: Wythe County Address: New River Trail State Park, 176 Orphanage Drive, Foster Falls VA Phone: 276.699.6778
• Fort Chiswell Holiday Craft Fair
Patrick McFall, New River Trail State Park interpreter, is on of many park employees who have spent months preparing for the annual Foster Falls Festival of Light.
event that draws people from over 200 miles away to Wythe County for the spectacular sight.
sored by the Department of Social Services. The look of awe at the sea of twinkling lights is just an added bonus.
Gary Cody, Wythe County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Director, and the Parks and Recreation staff have helped get the word out for the festival through distributing flyers around the county. Cody said the setting of the park is a wonderful showcase for the hundreds of thousands of lights.
It is indeed a community event, participated in by not only the park workers who spend months putting up the lights and the on lookers who donate. Every year without hesitation people agree to take part including local elementary schools that make ornaments that line the Christmas trees inside of Santa’s village.
“The New River Trail State Park workers put a lot of hours into preparing for the event,” said Cody. “The setting is perfect to for any light display, especially the view of the lights reflection off the New River.” Like many holiday events, the festival’s main purpose is to collect for charities, the food going to Agape Food Pantry in Wytheville and toys given to Santa’s Workshop spon-
“Having this event is a great opportunity for us to give back to the community that so generously gives to us,” said McFall. The festival will take place on Dec. 2 and 3 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the New River Trail State Park, 176 Orphanage Drive, Foster Falls. For more information contact the park at (276) 699-6778.
Sat Dec 3, 2011 Location: Fort Chiswell Middle School Phone: 276.637.3711 or 540.980.0274 Email: mgarnto@wythek12.org
• Max Meadows Christmas Pa-
rade Sat Dec 3, 2011 Time:1 p.m. Location: Max Meadows VA
• Rural Retreat Christmas Parade
Sun Dec 4, 2011 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Downtown Rural Retreat Phone: 276-686-4376
• Wytheville Christmas Parade
Fri Dec 9, 2011 Time: 6 p.m. Location: Downtown Wytheville Phone: 276.625.8812
• Visit with Santa
Sat Dec 10, 2011 Time: 2 p.m. Location: Wytheville Meeting Center Address: 333 Community Blvd., Wytheville Phone: 276.223.3378 Email: crystalh@wytheville.org
• Christmas Tour of Homes
Sun Dec 11, 2011 Description: Sponsored by Wythe Arts Council Phone: 276.228.6002
Do your your holiday holiday shopping shopping locally locally & & support support Do Wythe County County Wythe Each year the Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce promotes shopping local for the holidays through their chamber gift certificates redeemable at many local businesses. For more information, call the Chamber office at 276-2233365 and place your order, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Available for purchase year round. For the complete listing of participating business, contact the chamber. The following is a list provided by the chamber where gift certificates are redeemable and great local gift ideas can be found. Attractions and Entertainment
Main St.; 228-9014
• Earthganic Greenhouse: 1135 W. Lee Hwy.; 228-2386
Specialty
• Fowlkes Machine Co., Inc.: 200 Cassell Rd.; 228-2513
• Crockett’s Country Store: 475 E. Main St.; 228-4114
Bed and Breakfast
• Guynn Furniture Co.: 270 E. Main St.; 2282381
• Goodwill Industries: 1155 N. 4th St.; 2288200
• Trinkle Mansion Bed & Breakfast: 525 W. Main St.; 625-0625
• Musser Lumber Co.: 200 Shoal Ridge Rd.; 686-5113
• Harley Davidson Shop of Wytheville: 430 Lithia Rd.; 228-9000
Computer and Office
• Schewel’s Furniture: 305 W. Main St.; 2285431
• Mark IV Honda: 2073 Chapman Rd.; 2283118
• State Electric Supply Co.: 225 N. 11th St.; 228-3191
• Sew What Fabrics: 460 E. Main St.; 2286400
• Wythe Lumber Co.: 295 Calhoun St.; 2282401
• The Farmer’s Daughter Boutique: 450 E. Main St.; 228=8949
• *Pleasant Hill Farm: 310 Rome Rd., MM; 637-0252 • Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre: 150 Malin Dr.; 228-0891
• Wytheville Office Supply, Inc.: 146 W. Main St.; 228-5537 Department Stores
• Burke’s Outlet: 265 Commonwealth Dr., Unit 50; 228-4492 • Goody’s: 1155 N. 4th St.; 228-9090 • Walmart: 345 Commonwealth Dr.; 228-2190 Flowers and Gifts
• Coulter’s Florist, Inc.: 200 E. Monroe St.; 228-3301 • Kelly’s Kreations Florist, LLC: 355 W. North St.; 227-0777 • Petals of Wytheville : 120 Tazewell St.; 2270031 Health, Beauty and Spa
• About Face Aesthetics/Skin Care, LLC: 325 D E. Main St.; 228-8446 • Counts Drug Co., Inc.: 289 W. Main St.; 2282178 • Graceful Strokes Therapeutic Massage: 325 B E. Main St.; 223-8314 • Healing Hands Wholeness Center: 155 C W. Main St.; 617-8577 • Elizabeth Smith, Independent Mary Kay Consultant: 389-6474 Home and Garden
• A1 Auction & Discount Store : 2190 W. Ridge Rd.; 228-2901 • Builders Supermarket: 2390 N. 4th St.; 2282121
Jewelry
• Lemon’s Jewelry: 295 Commonwealth Dr.; 228-5014 • Smith’s Jewelers: 210 W. Main St.; 2283814 Restaurants
• Bojangles: 210 E. Commonwealth Dr. • CJ’s Pizza: 1025 W. Lee Hwy.; 228-8448 • *McDonald’s of Fort Chiswell: 2656 E. Lee Hwy., MM; 637-6339 • *McDonald’s of Rural Retreat: 4153 Black Lick Rd., RR; 686-5562 • McDonald’s of Wytheville: 1195 N. 4th St.; 228-5714 • Naber Subway: Commonwealth Dr./Exit 52 in Bland; 228-4848/7117 • Papa John’s Pizza: 130 Cassell Rd.; 6257272
• The Yarn Shop: 155A N. Tazewell St.; 2234459 • Town of Wytheville Museum Gift Shop: 115 W. Spiller St.; 223-3457 • US Cellular: 295 Commonwealth Dr.; 6250193 • Wythe Co. Gen. & Historical Assoc.: 115 E. Main St.; 228-2445 Sports and Recreation
• *Cripple Creek Campground: 261 Apperson Dr., IV; 699-6582 • *Fort Chiswell RV Park: 312 Ft. Chiswell Rd., MM; 637-6868 • *Wythe Raceway: 164 Race Track Rd., RR; 223-9804 • Wytheville Golf Club: 1325 W. Lee Hwy.; 2285931 Wine & Spirits
• Peking Chinese Restaurant: 105 Malin Dr.; 228-5515
• *Rural Retreat Winery & Dye’s Vineyards: 201 Church St., RR; 686-8300
• *Pizza Plus: 518 N. Main St., RR; 686-8686
• *West Wind Farm Vineyard Winery: 180 West Wind Dr., MM; 699-2020
• Sagebrush Steakhouse: 190 Nye Rd.; 2287103 • Shoney’s: 120 Malin Dr.; 228-5667 • Smokey’s Hickory Smoked BBQ: 1090 W.
*IV = Ivanhoe *MM = Max Meadows *RR = Rural Retreat