Buchanan Festival of Lights – You and your family are invited to enjoy Buchanan’s first, Festival of Lights display on the Buchanan Town Park now thru December 27th. DONATIONS ACCEPTED at entry.
Thousands of lights adorn trees and buildings on the grounds of the Buchanan Town Park located at 485 Lowe Street. To meet COVID safety Guidelines, on weekends Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the Festival of Lights is a Drive Thru experience only, weekdays will be walk thru Mondays thru Thursdays. Please remain in your vehicles during Drive Thru Nights, and, practice proper social distancing and wearing masks on Walk Thru Nights.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS – Gold – BANK OF BOTETOURT, serving the community since 1899. Silver – Bank of Fincastle
The Town hopes this event will grow in to a new signature winter attraction for the Town and invite you to help us grow. Donations are being accepted to purchase additional lights for next year’s display. To make a donation call the Town of Buchanan at 540-254-1212, or, mail a check to; Town of Buchanan Festival of Lights, Post Office Box 205, Buchanan, Virginia 24066.
OPEN TIMES – Any changes due to COVID will be noted on the Town’s Facebook Page.
Fridays & Saturdays – 5pm – 9pm
Sundays – 5pm – 8pm
Mondays thru Thursdays 5pm – 8pm
Buchanan Soup Drive – The Town of Buchanan is collecting cans of soup for the Backpack Buddy Program. Please bring your cans of soup to the Buchanan Town Hall on Main Street. Please check the expiration dates to make sure they have not expired. Thanking you in advance for your continued support.
Luminary Volunteers Needed – The Town of Buchanan invites you to be part of our annual Christmas Eve Luminary Display. Volunteers are needed to help place luminaries along Main Street on Thursday, December 24th at 3pm, and additional volunteers at 5:30pm to help light luminaries. If you would like to volunteer, please call the Buchanan Town Hall at 540-254-1212 x 4.
Second Sunday Dinner – Enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas meal from the historic Wilson Warehouse to go on Sunday, December 13th 12noon until 2pm. December’s menu consists of Stuffed Pork Loin, Creamed Potatoes, Cranberries, Succotash, Dinner Roll, and Dessert for $12 with proceeds going to preserve the historic Wilson Warehouse. To place your order, call 540-597-2399, or, email hlgleason1@gmail.com
Buchanan Backwards Christmas Parade – Saturday, December 12, 2020 Line up 6pm – Parade 7pm
While COVID-19 is creating changes to our daily lives, Buchanan is working with the Health Department to develop a Calendar of Events which fall within the Health Department’s COVID-19 Safety Guidelines.
To answer the big question, yes, Buchanan will be hosting its’ annual Christmas Parade this year, however, there are a couple TWISTS to this year’s Parade.
In keeping with tradition, the Parade will be held on the second Saturday of December falling on Saturday, December 12th. FIRST TWIST – Line up for the Parade is scheduled to begin at 6:00p.m., with the Parade beginning at 7:00p.m. This is a night time Parade so, bring the lights, bring music, make it colorful, and, most of all, let’s help make memories for the kids!
SECOND TWIST – Working with the Health Department to develop a COVID safe Parade, the Town will be hosting a “Backwards Christmas Parade.”
Main Street will close at 6:00p.m. to allow for Parade Line Up. PARADE ENTRIES SHOULD CHECK IN FRONT OF THE BUCHANAN TOWN HALL ON MAIN STREET (next to the Bank of Botetourt).
UNLIKE previous parades, Line Up will NOT take place at the old Groendyke property. Entries will be lined up in the parallel parking spaces along Main Street starting near Stop In and continuing southward along Main Street towards the Methodist and Episcopal Churches.
UNLIKE previous parades, the public will not gather along the sidewalk to view the Parade. Due to the difficulty in enforcing social distancing, spectators will enjoy the Parade from comfort of their cars as they drive along Main Street. Parade Entries will remain stationary in their designated spaces while the public will drive thru the Parade traveling north to south along Main Street (from the Groendyke property towards the James River Bridge). North bound traffic coming across the James River Bridge will be diverted to Lowe Street. At the end of the parade, there will be a station where spectators may stop to pick up candy for the children. The Town will be accepting donations of prepackaged candy to fill bags which will be handed out. Following the parade, the public may wish to enjoy the Town’s drive thru Festival of Lights on the Buchanan Town Park.
Parade entries will begin Line Up at 6:00p.m. when Main Street closes to vehicular traffic. Entries will Check In at Town Hall on Main Street to receive their space designation. After proceeding to your space, please unload your materials and move volunteer vehicles to parking along Lowe Street. If you have a vehicle pulling a trailer you may leave that vehicle attached to the trailer just as you would in a regular parade.
For additional information, or, to enter please call 540-254-1212.
