Fort Campbell will kick off its holiday season Friday with its annual tree lighting ceremony, an inaugural holiday parade and a full slate of Winter Wonderland festivities.
The post’s Holiday Parade begins at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 5 outside Wilson Theater. The route will continue down Normandy Boulevard, turn onto Tennessee Avenue and end at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Campbell Headquarters on Screaming Eagle Boulevard, where the tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Musical performances by the 101st Airborne Division Band and the Child and Youth Services Choir will accompany the lighting, along with the arrival of Santa Claus.
Winter Wonderland programming begins earlier in the day, with a holiday market opening at 2 p.m. near the Garrison Headquarters. The relocation of all major activities to the area between Screaming Eagle and Normandy boulevards is meant to centralize the festivities, according to Melissa Schaffner, chief of the NAF Support Division for the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
“This year, we have moved all of the holiday activities to the area between Screaming Eagle and Normandy [boulevards] to provide the holiday market with a central location nearer to the tree lighting,” Schaffner said. “The market opens at 2 p.m., so you can come early, do some gift shopping, get some treats from our food trucks and stake out a great spot to watch the parade and the arrival of our special visitor from the North Pole. We are grateful for our partners in the event, Campbell Crossing and USAA, without whose support we could not present such a great kick off to the December holiday period.”
The holiday market, featuring local vendors and food trucks, will remain open until 9 p.m. Photos and story time with Santa will be offered at 6:15 p.m. at the R.F. Sink Library.
Winter Wonderland activities continue Saturday, Dec. 6, with the annual Trees for Troops event at the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Parade Field. The national program, run in partnership with FedEx and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, provides real Christmas trees to service members and their families. Since its launch in 2005, Trees for Troops has delivered more than 325,000 trees to bases across the United States and overseas.
Fort Campbell was one of just five installations to receive trees in the program’s first year. This year, trees will be distributed to 93 installations.
Trees will be available to junior enlisted service members from noon to 2 p.m. and to all active-duty personnel from 2 to 4 p.m., or until supplies run out. Identification cards will be required, and families are encouraged to bring blankets or padding to protect their vehicles when transporting the trees.
