The 30th Annual Greenville Country Christmas happened last weekend on Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12 at Haffye Hayes Park and proved to be a great success with fun activities for all ages in this two-day event. Country Christmas kicked off with a bake-off contest at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m., the festivities commenced with many Friday night traditional events, including invocation, announcements, community caroling, a nativity scene and tree lighting ceremony. The night concluded with community refreshments at the Greenville/Madison Multi Purpose Center at 7 p.m. with food from Double H. Diner. Saturday morning, the fun continued at 9 a.m. Door prizes winners were announced throughout the day, and many other activities took place as the day went on, including a children's art contest and a blood drive sponsored by American Legion Post 131 and equipment provided by OneBlood. At 10 a.m., there was an opening ceremony that included a prayer, the singing of the National Anthem, a Flag Salute and recognition of Grand Marshal and Citizen of the Year. Citizen of the Year was William Stanley “Red” Braswell, a native of Madison County. Braswell is a part of the “Spirit of Greenville,” alongside of Norman and Cindy Hutto. This hard working group frequently raises money through many different activities for the community. Joe C. Peavy was also recognized at the ceremony as Grand Marshal. Peavy is a retired sheriff who served as sheriff of Madison for 28 years. The parade began at 11 a.m., and the bake-off and art contest winners were announced at noon. All works are currently on display at the American Legion Post 131, and the public is invited to view the creative talents of the Greenville children. A cake auction was held at 1 p.m., and live music began at 1:15 p.m. The evening concluded with the Greenville High School Reunion at 6 p.m. What a fantastic weekend it was during Greenville Country Christmas! Greenville Country Christmas owes its success to the generous support from its sponsors. Gold Sponsors included: Double H. Diner and the Greenville/Madison Multipurpose Center. Silver Sponsors included: Capital City Bank, Farm Bureau, Florida Plywoods, Inc., Greenville Fertilizer, Leigh Barfield, Property Appraiser; Madison County Community Bank, Madison Auto and Tractor Parts, Parrish and Associates, Ronnie Moore and last but not least Tri-County Electric. Bronze sponsors included: Hickory Hill Farms, Johnson and Johnson, Inc., Madison Veterinary Clinic, LLC, Scott Realty, Studstill Lumber of Madison and Uphold's Feed. Thanks is also extended to the local businesses that donated door prizes for the event.
