Parade Kicks Off Christmas In Roanoke

Santa arrived in Roanoke by Norfolk Southern train Saturday night for a unique holiday celebration at O. Winston Link Museum.

Santa Arrives by Rail, On an Evening Express was the first community gathering at the museum during evening hours and included various holiday activities at $5 a ticket. The museum was collecting nonperishable food items as a donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank for a $1 discount on admission.

Children were encouraged to wear pajamas for photos with Santa in the historic Norfolk and Western passenger station, which was decorated for winter in a 1950s fashion.

From 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the station resembled a winter wonderland, including a sweet shop, Christmas movies and performances by members of the Southwest Virginia Ballet. Roanoke County Public Library members also put on a puppet show and provided the children with story time.

The Roanoke community provided the museum with support for evening gatherings, as opposed to daytime ones. "We never really had the chance to host an evening celebration, but we found out that the community was very interested in it," said Kimberly Parker, the director of O. Winston Link Museum.

The crowd was comprised of all ages and mostly families. "This event was mainly to celebrate families and Roanoke history, as well as bring the community together for the holidays," commented Allie Hasson, marketing and media relations coordinator for the museum. "I think the turn out was great, and we plan on hosting similar events in the future."

Attendees seemed to be enthusiastic about the magical atmosphere provided by the museum. Ashley Harrison, a 7-year-old, said her favorite part was "getting to meet Santa."

With the holidays just around the corner, O. Winston Link Museum aimed to spread the Christmas cheer throughout the Roanoke community.