Buchanan’s Calendar of Events was one of the reasons Travel & Leisure Magazine just designated the town as one of the “Best 12 Small Towns to Add to Your Travel List.” This weekend’s activities exemplify how the town welcomes families to make memories throughout the year.
Community Development Planner Harry Gleason noted, “Thanks to the efforts of volunteers from throughout the community, our locally owned businesses, civic organizations and churches make events possible throughout the year and Christmas is no exception. The town has a little bit of something for everyone this Christmas season.” Buchanan welcomes visitors to start making memories this weekend during the national celebration known as Small Business Saturday.
Buchanan will kick off its Christmas Calendar of Events with Small Business Saturday, this Saturday, Nov. 27. Each one of Buchanan’s locally owned businesses is unique and may be found from one end of town to the other. Shoppers will discover a wide variety of goods and services including John Deere, hardware, RVs, hunting gear, primitives, Amish furniture, home décor, books, antiques, art, jewelry, wood crafts, candles, specialty clothing, herbal products, handmade felt crafts, great places to eat and more.
Additional Small Business Saturday activities include “Pop Up Shopping” at the Buchanan Community Christmas Market from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. More than 20 vendor spaces will be set up in the parking lot next to Town Hall and scattered along the sidewalks of Main Street during Small Business Saturday.
Shoppers will also find selfie photo ops at participating businesses, and the opportunity to drop off letters in the Santa Mail Box.
Carriage Rides will be available from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. starting at the Buchanan Town Hall. Thanks to the sponsorship by Bank of Botetourt, rides are family friendly, just $1 for children and $2 for adults.
Buchanan’s Small Business Saturday activities culminate with the Town Tree Lighting next to Town Hall at 7 p.m. A beautiful 20-foot-tall Norway spruce, donated by the Tommy Moore family, is festooned with colored balls and more than 3,000 tiny clear lights. Hundreds of visitors gather each year to sing by candlelight before the countdown to light the tree. Following the lighting, children are invited to drop in to Town Hall to have their parent take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus with their cameras and cell phones.
At 7:30 p.m., the Buchanan Theatre will be showing the Christmas classic “A Christmas Carol,” beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Gleason added, “Small Business Saturday is just the beginning of the Buchanan Christmas Calendar of Events, with additional activities posted in The Fincastle Herald, the town website and town Facebook page.”
