Thank you to those who made it happen

Kids, dogs, adults and Deere on Broad St. was a wonderful site. 

It was a weekend that will be remembered as thousands of locals and visitors gathered in Edenton on Saturday morning to watch the annual Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade. The weather, almost balmy, provided sunny skies and just the right amount of briskness to make warm hats, scarves and blankets appropriate.  

The overflow crowd at the Edenton Coffee Shop and the Broad St. Diner along with the hundreds of folks that took advantage of the Christmas Farmer Market filled the sidewalks  in preparation of marching bands, fabulous floats and a parade of tractors that would have made John Deere proud. For those less enthused about tractors, John Deere was born in Rutland Vermont in 1804, became a Blacksmith and developed the first steel scouring plow and founded the company in 1837. Many Edenton farmers are fond of the Deere brand  apparent from the parade of big wheeled Deere on Broad St. 

It wouldn’t be a parade without the judges, the curbside sitters, dogs,  horses and of course, fire trucks, and the tractor parade along with cameras to capture the warm, joyful expressions of the crowd. 

I had a terrific day photographing the parade of children and dogs and after the parade cleared, watching the shops overflow with customers. 

It was an amazing weekend of constant activity. 

While the Chamber of Commerce and the Edenton's Historical Commission sponsored the weekend events, the volunteers and town workers that diligently worked behind the scenes to make everything happen play a major roll in making milestone weekends. 

I would image the town crew, the police department, town officials and everyone involved in the events would appreciate a standing ovation for the great work they contribute throughout the year, and especially on the weekends of added activity. 

Whenever you see these dedicated individuals, offer them a Merry Christmas for helping to make ours, and so many visitor's holiday season Merry. Thank you all.

KF.

The holiday season took little time in getting here. Last week signified it is upon us.  

The annual 43 year Candlelight Tour this weekend will bring locals and visitors to Edenton to view a dozen or so historic homes decked out in Christmas cheer. 

As we begin our holiday shopping, let’s look to our downtown merchants who work tirelessly to fill their stores with items on your shopping list.  Shopping locally benefits the entire community. It builds relationships within town and helps support the local economy. Spending our dollars at shops and restaurants helps keep Edenton healthy. You may be surprised at the interesting items you will find.  The friendly service can’t be beat by big box retailers or online shopping. In most cases, you will be greeted by the local shop owner who has invested in Edenton with their heart, soul and money to make Edenton the special place we all call home. Reciprocating with your patronage is your gift to them.

I received an email last week from a reader who enjoyed her shopping experience downtown. I thought it would be terrific to share. 

"Found the paper at the Diner on Broad and LOVE it! Good writing, good content, good editing and enjoyable reading. A week ago  I decided to start the horrendous task of shopping for our large family(37)and starting my annual mantra, I hate the mall, I hate shopping. I took a walk downtown hoping I might find something to jumpstart my shopping list and I’m so excited to tell you this. I bought every single gift, from babies on up, on Broad Street in Edenton. In every store I had personal service; the clerks, totally familiar with their stock and inventory, are happy to have me in their store and care that I’m there. Some even offered to gift wrap my purchases. Most offered to carry my bags to the car, which happened to be parked in front of the store, or within the block. (Totally unnecessary, but what a lovely offering.) what a lovely shopping day that was, and did I mention, gifts weren’t made in China? Turns out, I really don’t hate shopping! I love our town. Shop local! Thanks for the nice publication. Merry Christmas."

Her kind words ring out to all the merchants making this holiday season so special.
Take a shopping break and catch a fish in front of the mural on King St. It will make a great holiday fish story. 

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year.  We have much to be thankful for in our special community.    

Karen Foley

Destination Downtown Edenton, now doing business as Main Street Edenton, is an award winning program dedicated to preserving and enhancing the charm, vitality, and economic health of historic downtown Edenton. We work to support existing businesses, recruit new investment, and foster a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere for both residents and visitors.

Our programs and initiatives focus on four pillars: Economic Vitality, Design, Organization, and Promotion. Through Economic Vitality, we support the growth of local businesses by offering resources such as data analytics and business development services, organizing networking opportunities, and advocating for the needs of our entrepreneurs. We also actively work to recruit new businesses and investments that complement our downtown’s unique character, creating job opportunities and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Our team collaborates with property owners and local government to maintain the beauty and historic integrity of our downtown through Design initiatives. We actively advocate and review downtown policies and offer a Façade Grant program to ensure our historic downtown maintains it’s charm. Organization focuses on bringing together volunteers, community leaders, and partners to foster a unified vision for Edenton’s future. We work in lock step with the local Tourism Authority, Chamber of Commerce, Historical Commission and Edenton Chowan Partnership to ensure we have aligned vision for Edenton’s future. Finally, through our Promotions work, we host events like Boogie on Broad and the Sounds of Summer Concert series, showcasing Edenton as a lively hub of activity and culture.

Main Street Edenton is proud to serve as a bridge between Edenton’s storied past and its bright future, where businesses thrive, visitors feel welcomed, and the community gathers. Join us in our mission to make downtown Edenton a place that’s vibrant, inclusive, and unmistakably unique.

Ches Chesson is the Executive Director Main Street Edenton.

When I came up with the idea to publish a small guide for the 250 celebration my original idea for a four page newsletter grew. There was more ‘good news’ than I expected.  

I can’t express how thankful I am to everyone who has stopped me on the street or in a store and offered kind words about the printed issue of The Edenton Social Light.  

As we can tell from the amount of cars downtown and the people enjoying the town’s retailers that Thanksgiving  will once again bring many Edenton families  together. It’s the beginning of the Holiday Season. Speaking from experience, the Christmas Season in Edenton ranks high among those in other charming renowned communities.  

Edenton’s Community calendar is full. Make sure to take a look and download ours, it has a list of events that will warm your heart and bring good cheer to your soul.  

If you on a tour of town over the weekend, stop by Surf, Wind and Fire and see if you can catch the large fish on the retailers wall. On Sunday, December 1, Surf, Wind and Fire is hosting another Downtown Sunday event. Stop by, listen to tunes, enjoy some food from the variety of trucks and catch a fish for two.  

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Karen Foley