The photo shows the Unicoi County High School Blue Devil Marching Band in the 1970 Erwin Christmas Parade. The Erwin Record ran it with its announcement of this year's theme, "Christmas Through the Decades." The paper calls the theme "a festive journey down memory lane" and "a great way to celebrate the town's 150th anniversary."
This year, the town's historic movie house is open again on North Main Avenue, and its calendar has screenings and concerts on the same dates as the parade and the tree lighting. That means the downtown holiday days can now go on into the evening.
A Parade Built Around 150 Years
The Erwin Christmas Parade steps off Saturday, Nov. 28, at 10:30 a.m. The Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce puts it on every year. The published route starts at Erwin Village Shopping Center on North Main Avenue, goes through downtown and ends at Erwin Utilities on Love Street.
The event listing also describes a sensory-friendly viewing area on Main Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets, including the Food Lion shopping plaza parking lot. It has less noise and softer lighting, which helps families with children who find the full parade overwhelming. Groups that want a spot in the lineup need an application from the Chamber, which you can reach at 423-743-3000. Call that same number to confirm parade-day details.
The decades theme is the latest of several 150th-anniversary projects this year. In May, the Chamber announced a community time capsule that will be opened when Erwin turns 200, and it asked the public for items to put inside, the Erwin Record reported. The paper also printed a series of special history sections for the anniversary. The third and last one was planned for its Oct. 28 edition. The parade puts that look back out on the street.
The Building That Gives the Season an Evening
Capitol Hall is at 105 N. Main Ave. It used to be the Capitol Theatre. Owner Jon Corbin told the Kingsport Times News that he bought the building in July 2024, when it had serious structural and maintenance problems. The restoration took more than a year. Corbin said the design focused on keeping what was left of the original Art Deco style. The concession stand is retro to honor the theater's early years, and new LED lighting and sound equipment let the room work as a modern music venue. Leslie Campbell, a local artist and owner of Ravenworks Studio, painted a mural at the entrance.
The grand opening was planned for April 3 and 4. By late April, Bluegrass Today reported the theater had reopened and was showing films and hosting music and comedy. It seats just under 300 people and mostly shows classic movies.
Movie tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids under 12. You can buy them online or at the door. At those prices, a family can see a movie after the parade for less than a single first-run ticket costs in many places.
The theater also has its own hometown story. Banjo player Lincoln Hensley, who leads the Tennessee Bluegrass Band and grew up in Unicoi County, started a monthly residency there in May, playing as Lincoln Hensley & Friends. Tickets were $15 when the residency was announced. Hensley told the Erwin Record, as Bluegrass Today reported, that playing there feels "full-circle": "When I was young, I went to the Capitol all the time to watch movies, and I have a lot of great memories there."
This is the theater's first holiday season since reopening. Here's how its schedule lines up with the town's.
Thanksgiving Weekend, Morning to Night
Friday after Thanksgiving through Saturday night now fills two full days in and around Erwin. On Friday morning, Tennessee State Parks has a guided two-mile Turkey Burner hike at Rocky Fork State Park. It meets at the Interpretive Fire Pit parking lot. Capitol Hall's calendar takes care of both evenings.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27, 9:00 to 11:15 a.m. | Turkey Burner guided hike, about two miles | Rocky Fork State Park, Interpretive Fire Pit parking lot |
| Fri., Nov. 27, 7:00 p.m. | Practical Magic, doors 6:30, rated PG-13 | Capitol Hall, 105 N. Main Ave. |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 10:30 a.m. | Erwin Christmas Parade, "Christmas Through the Decades" | Erwin Village Shopping Center to Erwin Utilities on Love Street |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 7:00 p.m. | Tommy Boy, doors 6:30, rated PG-13 | Capitol Hall, 105 N. Main Ave. |
Saturday works especially well. The parade comes down North Main Avenue in the morning, and the movie starts that evening at a theater on the same street, for $5 an adult.
Dec. 4 Puts Two Plans at 7:30
The tree lighting is Friday, Dec. 4. The event starts at 5 p.m. at Erwin Town Hall, 211 N. Main Ave., with Santa's Village set up in the Town Hall parking lot. The tree is lit at 7:30 p.m.
The Chamber's listing calls it a free event and lists the following:
- A trackless train
- Marshmallows
- Live music and a food truck
- A movie at City Hall
- Photos with Santa, plus gifts for the first 100 children in the photo line
That same night, Capitol Hall has Hustle Souls at 7:30 p.m., with doors at 6:30. The venue describes the band as "Asheville soul meets brass-band funk and Americana."
The tree is lit at 7:30, the same time the concert starts, and both are on North Main Avenue. So you'll have to pick which one you're there for at 7:30. Families with young children may want Santa's Village at 5, the train and photos, and then the tree. A couple or a group of friends could spend early evening at Santa's Village and leave in time for Capitol Hall's doors at 6:30.
Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 Fill In the Gap
Cocoa and Carols, the Chamber's downtown shopping event, is Saturday, Dec. 12, from 3 to 7 p.m. Bank of Tennessee is the sponsor. It starts at the Chamber office, 100 S. Main Ave., where shoppers pick up a cocoa mug and a Shopping Passport. Participating downtown businesses serve free hot chocolate, carolers perform, and there's a drawing for a $150 gift certificate to a local business.
The passport gives people a reason to walk between storefronts. It runs from mid-afternoon until after dark, so it's the season's one big downtown event set entirely during shopping hours. That's the right time for crossing off a gift list at local shops.
The next week, Capitol Hall has Chamomile and Whiskey on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m., with doors at 6:30. The venue notes the band was voted "Best Band in Charlottesville" by C-ville Weekly every year from 2018 to 2025, except 2020.
Put it all together and Erwin's holiday calendar runs from the Friday after Thanksgiving to the Saturday before Christmas:
- Fri., Nov. 27: Rocky Fork hike in the morning, Practical Magic at 7 p.m.
- Sat., Nov. 28: Parade at 10:30 a.m., Tommy Boy at 7 p.m.
- Fri., Dec. 4: Santa's Village from 5 p.m. with the tree lit at 7:30, or Hustle Souls at 7:30
- Sat., Dec. 12: Cocoa and Carols, 3 to 7 p.m.
- Sat., Dec. 19: Chamomile and Whiskey at 7:30 p.m.
The Erwin Record says this year's parade celebrates the sights, sounds and traditions that have made Christmas special for generations. Parade entries go through the Chamber at 423-743-3000, and Capitol Hall's tickets for Tommy Boy that night are available online or at the door.
At Kim Leonard, we'd love to see you on North Main for the parade this Thanksgiving weekend. If Erwin's 150th year has you thinking about what your own place in Unicoi County is worth, an instant home valuation is a quick, no-pressure place to start, and we're always glad to talk about it.