CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE
The 37 th Annual Christmas
By Hayli Zuccola
Christmas around the World
On Thursday , December 2 , as the sun began to set in downtown Live Oak , locals and visitors alike gathered at Millennium Park to gaze upon the grand , living Christmas tree that , for the first time , was adorned with hand-painted ornaments designed by students from Suwannee High School , the City Hall staff and their families . With the tree now aglow against the night sky , the Mayor of Live Oak welcomed all in attendance to the 37th annual Christmas on the Square , which continued into the evening with the 5K Jingle Bell Fun Run and a movie accompanied by refreshments at Millennium Park . on the Square
While Thursday and Friday ’ s events certainly drew a large crowd , by 9 a . m . on Saturday , downtown Live Oak was flooded with over 200 arts and craft vendors ready to showcase their handmade wares from home décor and furniture to wreaths and jams and so much more . Food vendors also showed up in droves to offer mouthwatering snacks and meals to hungry spectators throughout the day . The car show , agricultural exhibit and live entertainment capped off the remainder of the downtown market lineup , which ran until 4 p . m .
At 6 p . m ., the weekend celebration came to a close with the lighted Christmas parade that ’ s theme for 2021 was “ A Florida Christmas .” County Commissioner Len Stapleton and his family were named the noncommercial parade winner while Farmer ’ s Cooperative was dubbed the overall winner of the lighted parade .
Friday ’ s festivities – fondly referred to as Snow on the Square – began at 4 p . m . with a whopping 60,000 pounds of snow provided by Busy Bee to bring a touch of the North Pole to North Florida . Arts and craft vendors , live music and plenty of food lined the streets while patrons awaited the much-anticipated debut of the Coca-Cola Santa , who made an early arrival from his upcoming trek across the world to take pictures with the kids and greet his adoring fans . The night ended with a bang – literally – with a spectacular firework show to round out the day in preparation for an early start on Saturday .
Of course , putting on an unforgettable and successful three-day Christmas festival takes both time and teamwork and the 2021 event was made possible through the dedicated effort and sponsorships provided by Busy Bee , Visit Suwannee County Florida , Lowe ’ s Home Improvement , Suwannee Parks & Recreation , Suwannee Fire Rescue , Florida Public Utilities and Coca-Cola .
With yet another wonderful , yuletide-laden Christmas on the Square in the books , the countdown has already begun for the 38th annual extravaganza .
124 SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT | 2022-2023