An Old-Fashioned Christmas Celebration

      The holiday season is upon us and the Chipley Christmas Fest is excited to be able to

offer two full days of holiday fun this year. This year’s event is presented by Tobacco Free

Florida, Community South Credit Union, Believe Martial Arts, The Ugly Mug Cafe, Florida

Power & Light, Northwest Title Group and Orange Hill Express and will be held on Friday,

December 2, 2022 from 4-8pm and Saturday, December 3, 2022 from 9-2pm at the

Washington County Farmers Market Complex & Train Depot on 7th Street in Downtown Chipley.

      Friday night will kick off with a Free Sensory Santa Photo Shoot inside the Washington County

Historical Society from 3:30-4:30pm sponsored by Spedale Jr Photography and Sand Hills

Santa.

      From 4-8pm there will be children’s arts and crafts and games under the Farmer’s Market

Complex courtesy of the Chipley Garden Club, Chipley Woman’s Club and Community

South Credit Union, free bounce houses, carnival slide and obstacle course, free petting zoo,

pony rides for $7, mechanical bull rides for $5, free cotton candy courtesy of Believe Martial

Arts and a holiday photo booth courtesy of the Washington County Public Library.

      Free Carriage Rides around the festival block are sponsored by Tobacco Free Florida and will

run from 4-8pm. Line-up for the carriage rides will be in the Taylor Chiropractic parking lot. Enjoy

some free popcorn courtesy of Washington County SWAT while you are waiting.

      The Washington County Historical Society will also hold their open house during festival

hours that night. Stop in and check out the holiday decor along with Washington County history.

We will have a box to collect new toys, still in original packaging, and new backpacks for the

Gulf Coast Advocacy Center at the museum entrance. Please consider donating to benefit a

child in need.

      Our Annual Christmas Parade will begin at 5:30 pm (line-up is at 4:30 pm at the old CHS

Track on North Railroad Avenue). This year’s parade will be judged for cash prizes and

bragging rights! Remember: NO throwing of candy is permitted! Please have parade monitors

walking alongside the float and handing out the candy. Parade applications may be obtained at

the Washington County Chamber of Commerce (672 5 th Street) or on their Facebook Page.

      Free Santa Photos will be offered under the pavilion courtesy of Spedale Jr Photography and

Sand Hills Santa from 7-8pm. Parents will register their child at the registration table located in

front of the Bill Lee Station.

      The Holiday Stroll will also be back again this year and we encourage you to stop in

participating merchants shops. We will kick off this celebration of shopping local on Friday night

with downtown businesses staying open late and kicking off their holiday specials and gift card

programs. The stroll will continue during festival hours on Saturday. We will continue to

showcase all of our wonderful downtown businesses and what they will be offering for the

holiday shopping season on our Facebook page so you won’t miss a single great deal!

      On Saturday, December 3rd, from 9-2pm at the Farmer’s Market Complex, The Kiwanis

Club will offer a Breakfast from 9-11am. There will be a Christmas Marketplace full of arts and

craft vendors, free bounce houses, carnival slide and obstacle course for the kids. A Snow

Treasure Hunt will be set up on the green, so let your kids stop by and dig out a toy, and yard

games to play courtesy of Metric Engineering. New this year, the Chipley Christmas Fest is

proud to add a Free Artificial Ice Skating Rink sponsored by Chipley Physical & Aquatic

Therapy, Community South Credit Union and Rogers Insurance/Auto-Owners Insurance.

The rink will be open from 9-2pm.

      In partnership with the Washington County Council on Aging, we invite you to also stop

in at the Festival on the Boulevard from 9-2pm at their location at 1348 South

Blvd., which will include an arts and craft bazaar, food, and an antique car show.

      We will continue our tradition of the Kate M. Smith Elementary School 5th Grade

Christmas Card Contest. Each 5th grade classroom will receive a half sheet of

plywood, courtesy of Surplus & Salvage Supply, to design a holiday card of their

choosing. The cards will be critiqued by our chosen panel of judges on the morning of

December 2nd and a winning classroom will be decided. First place will receive a trophy

and a pizza party for their classroom courtesy of Hungry Howie’s. Second and third

place winners will receive trophies. The Christmas Cards will be auctioned off for local

charities beginning on festival day, December 2nd on the Christmas Fest Facebook page.

All cards will be displayed at the Washington County Farmers Market Complex during

the festival and then moved to KMS for display until the Christmas Card Contest Auction

is complete on December 16th. The winning class will pick a local charity (or several) to donate

the proceeds of the auction. Last year’s proceeds benefited the Chipley Animal Shelter, the

Washington County Council on Aging, The Washington County Historical Society and the

Washington/Holmes ARC.

Come join the fun!