UPDATE #2: The City Staff, Hillsboro Downtown Partnership, and Tuesday Night Market have notified the Herald that there were technical difficulties getting the event to broadcast Saturday night so the show will go on Sunday, Nov 22 at 5:00 pm. The Herald is reporting on this event and not running it, just to clarify for those who asked. Thanks and we, like many of you, will tune in tomorrow night. Watch Here-
UPDATE: Please make sure you and your families do not gather at the Civic Center. The tree lighting and Holly Days celebration is a virtual event and there will be nothing happening at the Civic Center Plaza. Watch the celebration via Facebook or YouTube (the names are clickable links). Here’s a word from the organizers: “We are going virtual this year to keep our community safe! But you won’t be disappointed. We will have holiday music from Leah & Austin, a local favorite band. The mayor will be joined by Santa and Mrs. Claus to light the tree. All this mixed in with fun things happening around downtown including our annual Excellence in Downtown Awards and a cameo from a local celebrity. The great thing about the event being online is you can watch it at 5:00 pm on November 21st if you just can’t wait for the holidays to be upon us. Or you can enjoy it whenever your family is ready to celebrate this annual tradition.”
The gathering for the Hillsboro Holly Days Celebration and tree lighting ceremony, a popular and well-attended annual event, will be virtual this year. The lighting of the tree at downtown’s Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza will occur on Saturday, Nov. 21 but celebrants are being asked to watch the broadcast online rather than attend on-site. Details regarding the Facebook and YouTube portals for viewing Hillsboro Holly Days are coming soon. This article will be updated as information comes in.
The broadcast event begins at 5:00 pm, runs until 7:00 pm, and will hold many delights in addition to the mayor flipping the switch to illuminate the tree. Folks with the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership, City of Hillsboro, and Hillsboro Tuesday Market are busy lining up what sounds sure to be a holly-jolly, hometown-proud, virtual festival. The program includes music, Mrs. Claus’s Pet Parade, and appearances by Santa. Please thank the hardworking organizers by telling your friends, family, and neighbors about the event. It would be a shame if they missed it.
The changes to Hillsboro Holly Days’ usual format as an in-person, civic gathering represent an abundance of caution and are in deference to community social distancing guidelines presently being observed to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
To clarify, the live-stream Holly Days event will be broadcast from a location other than the Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza. There will be nothing happening at the plaza so please do not gather there. However, the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership reminds us that downtown merchants will be open on Saturday evening.
