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The Roanoke-Chowan area will be filled with the holiday spirit this week as local towns and organizations will celebrate this special time of the year with parades and other events.

The Murfreesboro Chamber of Commerce will stage its Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9. The parade route will be on Main Street. Santa will visit with children at the Roberts-Vaughan House (116 Main Street) following the parade.

The Hertford-Gates Relay for Life Christmas Extravaganza will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 135 Events on Main in downtown Murfreesboro. A meal (soup, sandwich, beverage) will be offered for sale. Vendors will be selling various items.

The Ahoskie Christmas Parade will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11. The parade route is along Main Street with line-up beginning at 8:30 a.m. on West Main Street.

The Jackson Christmas Parade will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11 along Jefferson Street (US 158). Children can visit with Santa Claus at the Northampton County Memorial Library following the parade.

The Winton Christmas Parade is at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11 on Main Street.

On Dec. 10 and 11, the Murfreesboro Historical Association (MHA) will host their popular “Candlelight Christmas” featuring town’s historically significant structures, beautiful seasonal decorations representing the magic of Christmas, and musical entertainment.

Each year, hundreds of visitors make the pilgrimage to Murfreesboro to recapture and experience anew the spirit of Christmas past and present. Visitors stroll along the Historic District’s candle lit streets and walkways. Old acquaintances are renewed and new friends made in a memory-making atmosphere.

Patrons can choose to take a walk through the Murfreesboro Historic District where they can enjoy the colorful sights and sounds of Christmas past and present. The walk, the music at the Murfree Law Office, Murfree Center gift and vendor mart, the Ole Mill Girls store, and the kid’s interactive Christmas tree lot are free and open to the public.

Those wishing to enjoy access to the historical buildings and carriage rides are required to purchase tickets: $15 for adults, or $10 for ages `13-to-18. Children ages 12-and-under are admitted free with a paying adult.

Advance tickets can be purchased by calling 252-398-5922 or by email at murfreesborohistorical@gmail.com. They can also be ordered online at https://murfreesboronc.org/shop/ols/categories/event-tickets Tickets can be picked up at the Historical Association’s office located at 116 East Main Street.

FYI: This is a walking tour. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes. It is highly recommended that you check the weather report before leaving home and bring an umbrella, if needed. Even though the walkways are lit with candles, patrons might want to bring a flashlight.

Also on Saturday, Dec. 11, the Gates County Lions Club’s Christmas Parade will once again wind its way through the streets of downtown Gatesville. The parade begins at 3 pm in front of the old County Courthouse on Court Street and then turns left onto Main Street.

The parade was canceled last year to the widespread impact of COVID-19 at that time.

“No one remembers the very first year this started, but it was somewhere around 40 years ago,” said current Gates County Lions Club President Willie Hofler.

A few years ago, members of the local Lions Club began signaling out an individual to honor at the parade. This year, the honoree is actually a group.

“This year we are honoring all our local first responders and others who are on the front line to protect us….medical workers, the sheriff’s department, the Highway Patrol, EMS staff, 911 staff, health department staff, our volunteer fire departments in Gatesville, Gates, Eure, Sunbury (main station and Station 2 in Corapeake) and Hobbsville, and the staff at Todd’s Pharmacy.

“During this past year these departments and services worked to provide Gates County citizens and our visitors with fire calls, accident/emergency calls, police protection, These services went on, uninterrupted, through the entire COVID epidemic and all of these services continued to be provided.”

Hofler noted that these departments had to work through supply shortages and back orders.

“They had to wear masks, and maintain social distance when possible and still provided stellar service,” Hofler stressed. “They serviced all the calls without hesitation. They worked their normal hours and beyond, some 24/7, to provide care for our county.”

On Thursday, Dec. 16, Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit the Elizabeth Sewell Parker Memorial Library, located at 213 East Main Street in downtown Murfreesboro. Santa and Mrs. Claus will listen to the Christmas wish lists of local youngsters from 6-8 p.m.