York County celebrates the holidays with market, boat parade and more
Yorktown’s Christmas Market on Main Street takes place on Saturday and Sunday with strolling musicians, holiday shopping, chestnuts on an open fire and, of course, Santa Claus.
The market starts at 10 a.m. Saturday when the town crier “rings in” the event, followed by a performance from the Fifes and Drums of York Town. The market runs until 3 p.m. and then from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
A selection of nearly 100 vendors features everything from alpaca products and Christmas wreaths to handmade soaps and jewelry.
The Peninsula Model Train Club will have a display in the lower level of York Hall on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and York County Fire & Life Safety will have the department’s oldest fire truck, a 1955 Dodge, parked at the corner of Main and Nelson streets for most of the day. Santa will be near the fire truck on Saturday, and on Sunday, he’ll be sharing cookies with children in York Hall from 1-4 p.m.
Festivities kick off for the annual Lighted Boat Parade at 6 p.m. Saturday. The evening includes caroling around a beach bonfire, a musical performance by the Fifes and Drums of York Town and complimentary hot cider.
The boats will make their way down the river starting at 7 p.m. in a tradition that dates back two decades.
The Gallery at York Hall will once again host Cookies with Santa, which is free for the community, on Sunday from 1-4 p.m.
The Watermen’s Museum also gets into the holiday spirit with a Viking Yuletide Celebration and a Victorian reenactment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Then, the following weekend, catch Historic Yorktown’s new event: An Enchanted Evening on Main Street. From 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 9, the evening will include strolling carolers, food trucks (including roasted chestnuts), an ice carving demonstration and a live Nativity scene in the grassy area in front of York Hall. Attendees are encouraged to visit shops, restaurants and galleries.
Free parking is available in several lots throughout Historic Yorktown, including on Ballard Street at York Hall, the County Administration Building and the York-Poquoson Courthouse. Spots fill up quickly in the two-level garage on Water Street, but the walk from these other lots is a short distance. The Yorktown Trolley runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will provide complimentary transportation throughout town.
Additional information on all the Yorktown holiday events is available at www.visityorktown.org.
Kim O’Brien Root, kimberly.root@virginiamedia.com
