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Calendar of Events

NOVEMBER 2022

Christmas Events Announced

20-30 Winterland Express & Celebration of Lights | 6 p.m. | Village Park (closed 24th)

Kannapolis Christmas will officially kick off at Village Park with the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony & Celebration of Lights at 6 p.m., Saturday, November 19. The Celebration of Lights will then run through December 30. The Kannapolis Christmas Parade returns on December 10.

24-25 Thanksgiving Holiday (City Offices closed)

The Celebration of Lights includes thousands and thousands of Christmas lights and holiday displays. Admission to the park and viewing of the lights is free; tickets are required to ride the carousel and train. Reservation information for the train and carousel may be found at www.kannapolisnc.gov/ christmas. The park is located at 700 West C Street in Kannapolis.

DECEMBER 1-30 Winterland Express & Celebration of Lights | 6 p.m. Village Park (closed 24th-25th)

Again, this year, kids of all ages will be able to visit Santa. The park will also feature performances from our very own Kannapolis Singing Bears, who will entertain you with a Christmas Carol performance. On various nights local community groups and musicians will perform your favorite Christmas songs. Continued on page 2

25-27 Holiday Market 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. | Laureate Center

10 Christmas Parade | 6 p.m. | Downtown Kannapolis 22-26 Christmas Holiday (City Offices closed) Free admission. No pets or smoking, please. Concessions and food trucks available at concerts. More at www.kannapolisnc.gov.

Continued from page 1

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: • November 19 – Tree Lighting Ceremony: 6 p.m. at Village Park, 700 West C Street. Celebrate the start of the Christmas season in Kannapolis with the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. Enjoy live music and entertainment. Fireworks will immediately follow the Tree Lighting Ceremony at approximately 6:15 p.m. Free admission.

Tina Cline Selected as Best in HR Finalist Tina Cline, the City of Kannapolis Human Resources Director, has been named a Best in HR Finalist by the Charlotte Business Journal. She and her department team members were recognized at a recent ceremony. The Charlotte Business Journal recognized the City for their innovative internal and external personnel practices, policies and programs as the City’s employees responded to the pandemic. Tina has been with the City of Kannapolis for 27 years. She is active in several Human Resources professional organizations and in her community.

Environmental Tip As you prepare food for Thanksgiving, please remember not to put fats, oils and grease (FOGs) down the drain. Doing so can clog and damage pipes. Instead, pour FOGs into a container and throw them in the trash.

• November 20-December 30 – Celebration of Lights: Open 6-9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 6-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Come to Village Park and enjoy all the beautiful lights and displays in celebration of the holidays. Area choirs and school groups will perform on select evenings between 6 and 8 p.m. (December 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15). Bring your wish list for your visit with Santa; you are welcome to take your photo with him at no charge. Other activities include making a holiday craft, enjoying s’mores around the fire pit and much more. Local craftspeople and artisans be on hand on the weekends so come prepared to do your Christmas shopping. Food trucks will have food and drinks for sale. • November 25-27 – Begin your holiday shopping on Thanksgiving weekend at the Holiday Market. Local vendors and artists will have plenty of holiday goodies to choose from. From stocking stuffers to those hard-tofind gift items, the market will have something for everyone. The market will be inside Kannapolis City Hall, 401 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Food and drinks will be on sale. Free admission. • December 10 – The Kannapolis Christmas Parade begins in downtown Kannapolis at 6 p.m. This special nighttime parade travels through the streets of downtown Kannapolis and usually lasts until 7:30 p.m.

Loose-leaf Collection Underway Loose- leaf collection began October 31 and will end March 3. After March 3, we request that you bag any loose leaves you have and place them at the curb for yard waste collection. During the Loose-Leaf Season, there will not be loose-leaf collection on the following holidays observed by the City: • Veteran’s Day (Nov. 11) • Thanksgiving (Nov. 24 and 25) • Christmas (Dec. 22, 23 and 26) • New Year’s Day (Jan. 2) • Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 16). Loose-Leaf Collection Do’s & Don’ts: • Leaves must be placed at the curb or along the ditch line – not in ditches – in rows parallel with the street.

Kannapolis Receives Financial Certificate of Achievement The City of Kannapolis has once again been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada. The City has received this designation for the last 30 consecutive years. The certificate is given to governments who meet the highest levels of governmental accounting and financial accounting.

• Place leaves at the curb by 7 a.m. on the day of collection.

The Government Finance Officers Association serves approximately 17,500 government finance professionals in the U.S. and Canada.

• Leaves mixed with limbs, other yard waste, gum balls, gravel, glass or other solid matter will not be collected.

Kannapolis K-9 Retires

• Leaves in garbage containers will not be collected. • Leaves must be clear of water meters and fences and placed on the street side of retaining walls. • Leaves must be clear of sidewalks/street. To find your loose-leaf collection schedule, visit kannapolisnc.gov/looseleaf, or download the free CARTology app in Apple and Google Play stores.

Zeko, a six-year-old Dutch Shepherd, has been working as K-9 dog in Kannapolis for four years. The activity he enjoyed most about being a police officer was finding narcotics. Zeko worked hard and his biggest event was when he found $200,000 worth of cocaine hidden in two car batteries at a traffic stop for the N.C. State Highway Patrol. Zeko enjoyed snacking on beef sticks whenever they stopped at a gas station. He plans to enjoy his retirement by going on lots of walks while also getting lots of belly rubs. He is going to miss going to work with his dad, Sergeant Chris Hamilton, but he is happy that he can retire to his dad’s house.

City of Kannapolis Selected as Top U.S. Location for Corporate Headquarters The City of Kannapolis has been named one of the Top 15 Cities in the U.S. for Corporate Headquarters Relocation. The designation was recently released by the Boyd Company and featured in Site Selection Magazine. Over the last decade the City has been successfully implementing a revitalization program built on bringing economic opportunities and companies to Kannapolis. The City of Kannapolis was named to the list because it meets the following criteria: • Location with attractive lifestyle amenities

• Location with favorable operating cost structures • Location with excellent travel and hospitality support services for periodic staff meetings, employee training and enrichment sessions, and client servicing functions • Location showing positive demographic and business attraction trends • Location with attractive housing markets for C-suite executives • In a state with superior personal income tax climates for C-suite executives and staff

THE CITY OF KANNAPOLIS 401 Laureate Way | Kannapolis, NC 28081 704.920.4444 | www.kannapolisnc.gov

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• In a state with superior corporate income tax climates for companies. The Kannapolis City Council has been bold and visionary as it works to position the City as a destination for economic prosperity. Investments have been made, including the purchase of downtown, completion of the Atrium Health Ballpark, West Avenue Streetscape, a public parking deck, two new fire stations, utility extensions to support major new industrial development, a new greenway and more. “The goal of creating a healthy and vibrant economy has come to fruition, and has resulted in generating thousands of jobs and opportunities for dozens of small businesses and industries of all sizes. Companies like Amazon, Gordon Food, Linder, Zipline, Prime Beverage, the N.C. Food Innovation Lab, Kontek and others are now part of our community. We look forward to assisting corporations with their relocation needs,” said Irene Sacks, Director of Economic Development for the City of Kannapolis. The other cities making the list include: Lake Nona, Florida; Punta Gorda, Florida; St. Petersburg, Florida; Westlake, Florida; Minden, Nevada; Cary, North Carolina; Blue Ash, Ohio; Dublin, Ohio; Mount Juliet, Tennessee; Leander, Texas; Plano, Texas; Round Rock, Texas; The Woodlands, Texas; and Bellevue, Washington. For more information regarding the City of Kannapolis and opportunities for your company, please contact Irene Sacks, the City’s Economic Director, at 704-920-4326 (isacks@kannapolisnc.gov).