SpiritFest kicks off Christmas Season in Downtown Clarksville

Clarksville, TN – Downtown Commons, along with First Presbyterian Church and Trinity Episcopal Church teamed up once again to bring SpiritFest to downtown Clarksville.

2019 marked the fifth year of the event which precedes the annual Clarksville Christmas Parade. Guests were invited to come downtown early and enjoy a variety of activities.

There were kids’ inflatables, live music, Art and Gift Markets, hot chocolate, free desserts, food trucks, and if you followed the signs you could even find the not-so-secret location of Santa, and spend a few minutes with him and Mr’s Claus.

The fun got underway at 2:00pm with the Kids Fun Area at FPC’s Activities & Outreach Center. Their Art and Gift Markets were open as well, featuring local artists, jewelry-makers and woodworkers. At the same time, Santa and Story Telling were happening inside Trinity Episcopal, and the live music kicked off on the main stage at Downtown Commons.

This year’s entertainment featured performances of Christmas classics by local singers and dancers, including the Northeast High School Choir, the Rossview High School Signing Hawks (sign language), Dance Force of Clarksville, and the West Creek High School Choir.

One of the most popular areas was the live nativity scene on the front lawn of the offices of Runyon and Runyon. Visitors to the attraction were treated to some animals that are not often seen in Clarksville. There were Jacob Sheep, a British breed with interesting coloring and four impressive horns. There was also a Zebu, a small South Asian cow with a fatty hump on its shoulders, and a beautiful Bactrian Camel that made its way into countless selfies.

There was a Jingle Bell food Drive just down the way at Loaves and Fishes, for those with a giving spirit. Kids were able to take advantage of face painting or enjoy a ride on the bus to the North Pole, and if all that, the exotic animals, Santa, hot chocolate, cookies and story time weren’t enough, brave souls were invited to demonstrate their skating skills on the ice at the Downtown Commons Winter Ice Rink.

Great weather brought big crowds to this year’s SpiritFest, but by 5:00pm all the activities came to an end. Then, everyone found a good spot along the parade route and settled in for Clarksville’s 60th Annual Lighted Christmas Parade.