Downtown Bristol Events
December 11 | Bristol Public Library
The Bristol Public Library, in conjunction with the Fort Chiswell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), have created a space to place a U.S. Flag Retirement Drop Box for community use. The dedication of the drop box is scheduled for 11:00 am on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at the Bristol Public Library.
According to United States Flag Code, Title 4, Section 8k, the flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. Flag retirement services are offered by local Boy Scout troops each winter and by a local veterans group each summer. During these services, flags are burned, which has long been considered a dignified way of paying respect as a final tribute. Between these private, non-public ceremonies, the Daughters of the American Revolution saw a need to have a location for the community to drop the flags for the next retirement ceremony. The community, and especially local veterans, are invited to attend the dedication ceremony. Anyone with a tattered or worn flag is encouraged to bring it to the ceremony for disposal.
For more information contact Kayla Byrd, Program and Marketing Coordinator at 276-821-6147 or emailkayla@bristol-library.org.
December 11 | Bristol Public Library
Live in Bristol and want to go to college? Join us Wednesday, December 11 from 1 to 4 pm at the Bristol Public Library for our College Express Enrollment Day Event! You can get to VHCC for FREE when you ride with a VHCC student ID.
December 11 | Lumac Rooftop Bar
Please join us for the latest installment of Wine & Unwind Wednesday featuring Trisha Gene Brady! Don't let the cold weather keep you from coming out — we have a fire pit and heaters to keep you warm. Also, try our specialty cocktails while you take in some great music!
December 11 | O'Mainnin's Pub
Quarter Bounce hails from Southwest Virginia and Northeastern TN. The band is composed of serious and seasoned musicians who would rather perform than just about anything else. Tagged as a classic rock band, their music is a bit more diverse. Toss in a few ballads, a few country & western tunes, and the mix equals a good dance band. Just like the name implies, Quarter Bounce is about having fun, good times and forgetting about your worries for awhile.
December 12 | Bristol Public Library
Join us on Thursday, December 12th, at 5:30 pm for an evening with local author Chrissie Anderson Peters! Chrissie will be reading from her recently published book, Blue Ridge Christmas, as well as sharing how this book came to be from her writing process to getting her book published.
Refreshments will be served. There is no registration required for this event. For more information you may contact kayla@bristol-library.org or call 276-821-6147.
Author Bio:
Chrissie Anderson Peters holds a BA in English from Emory & Henry College in Emory, VA, and an MS in Information Sciences from the University of Tennessee, and live in Bristol, TN. She has been selected to attend the Appalachian Writers Workshop in Hindman, KY, five times and has worked under the leadership there of writers such as Crystal Wilkins, Jim Minick, Joyce Dyer, and George Ella Lyon. She has written three self-published books. Her work has appeared in several smaller regional journals and reviews (Clinch Mountain Review, Howl, Kudzu, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, to name a few), and has placed in contests with groups such as Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc., Mountain Heritage Literary Festival, Green River Writers, the Poetry Society of Virginia, and the Poetry Society of Tennessee. Her passions include travel and 80’s music.
December 12 | Bloom Cafe & Listening Room
Come join us for an evening of Holiday carols and cheer at Bloom Cafe and Listening Room in downtown Bristol! The show starts at 6:00pm, but come early to visit with the River's Way family and grab some food/coffee from Bloom. This is our 3rd annual performance, and it is sure to be a great evening celebrating people of differing abilities in our community.
December 12 | Studio Brew
Come wear your ugly sweater and have a good time!
December 12 | Kil'n Time Ceramics Studio
Join Victoria on Thursday, December 12th for #CanvasClass! Starting at 6:00 PM Victoria will teach painters how to recreate this #ChristmasWindow Canvas! Cost is $35 per painter! Bring your best friend and your favorite bottle of wine and join us to #FireUpYourInnerArtist!
December 12 | Blackbird Bakery
From East Tennessee, The Diamonds play a diverse mix of music, specializing in jazz standards. The group performs at various venues and events throughout the region, including weddings, parties, and restaurants. They have also volunteered at many nursing homes, assisted living homes, and charitable organizations in the area.
December 12 | O'Mainnin's Pub
Matt Smile of the Buddz will perform at O'Mainnins. Matt Smile has worked hard to get to where he is now. He is a the co-founder of rock n roll band "The Buddz". Their music style has created quite the buzz in the music industry with one of their releases reaching over 1.1 million streams on YouTube and touring nationally.
December 13–14 | Paramount Bristol
Bristol Ballet’s presentation of this beloved ballet is always a highlight of the Christmas season! Professional guest artists enhance this quality production, with over 60 area cast members. See the guests at the party, the battle between the wretched Rat Queen and the Nutcracker, and Clara’s journey through the magical snow forest to the Land of Sweets. Savor favorites like the Sugar Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Flowers, with some original twists like Mother Maybelle Carter and the Carter Sisters, complete with fiddles and banjos! Pupcracker, a crowd favorite from last year, returns at the Saturday noon performance. The cast includes some four-legged cast members, and you might find your “forever” dog among the shelter pups available for adoption in the lobby. Nutcracker is a perennial favorite of ours, and it wouldn’t be Christmas in Bristol without it.
TICKETS
December 13–22 | Theatre Bristol
Performances December 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 5:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm
December 13 | Bristol Public Library
In partnership with Operation HOPE, we are excited to offer a free workshop on Credit and Money Management. The tools discussed in this workshop are great for those just digging into financial management and for those who are financially established. Register today for FREE financial courses for you and your family! Registration is required to ensure that we have enough materials for everyone, secure your spot by calling 423-764-2226 or email
sarah.williams@operationhope.org
Read more about this workshop and Operation HOPE below:
Lack of financial literacy is a major cause of generational poverty. Poor credit, out of control debt, and other impacts of bad financial decisions and life events, can leave hardworking individuals struggling to move forward and make sense of it all.
The Credit and Money Management Program is designed to transform disabling financial mindsets—teaching people the language of money, how to navigate credit, and make better decisions with the money they have.
Through workshops and one-on-one counseling, our financial well being coaches empower clients to take control of their finances, by creating a budget, reducing and paying off debt, and clearing errors from their credit reports. Seventy-two percent of clients see a FICO score increase; 25 percent achieve a 700+ FICO score after six months of participation.
With the HOPE 700-Credit-Score-Communities initiative, the focus on raising client FICO scores to 700 and bringing financial uplift to communities, is at the foundation of the Credit and Money Management Program—working to rehabilitate the credit, financial, and overall well being profile of the HOPE client, and the future bank borrower, and by extension, the community as a whole.
December 13 | Bristol Public Library
Cherish your family memories as you gather together this holiday season by creating a lasting memento, a family history notebook. Based on the #52Stories project from Family Search, we invite you to make your own notebook at the library on Friday, December 13th at 2:00 pm. With 52 prompts to include as jumping off points for your stories, you can build a beautiful memory keepsake to pass down through your family. This program is free and open to all ages. All supplies will be provided so be sure to register by Wednesday, December 11th.
To register contact kayla@bristol-library.org or call 276-821-6147.
December 13 | Cascade Draft House
Adam "Bovine" Bolt, commonly known as The Abingdon Troubadour, was the front man for The Ordinary Bitters and has led several projects from incubation to hatchlings. There is no comparison to Bolt's highly acclaimed solo style that can guide you through your own demons via yodeling to having you shout out rap lyrics back to the stage. Bolt describes his music as "Sensationalized, Cynical, and Seasoned Songs in the Key of Country", and his live performance will have you Laughing, Crying, Singing, and Dancing.
Adam Bolt often referred to just as Bolt or Bovine has been performing since his childhood upbringing in Roanoke, VA. He would try as hard as he could to make his aunts laugh by performing Michael Jackson's 'Moon Walk' on Saxony carpet. Later he went on to cover Little Richard's "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and Was (not Was)'s "Walk the Dinosaur" in Wasena elementary's talent show. In third grade he played both parts in singing Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe", on one side of Bolt's face he had make up and the other a mustache with a wig that was chopped off on one side.
It wasn't until the Christmas of 93' that Bolt discovered his love for hip hop. After watching Whose Line is it Anyway, Bolt started a freestyle about Santa and how he was a PUNK. After his family relocated to Durham, NC, Bolt concentrated on hip hop music. He would right rap battles in Mr. Linke's biology class then perform them at Lunch. At one point he obtained a 5-0 winning streak until one day he retired after being brutally defeated by a Freshman Fabolous Look-a-Like. During this period he was a full time member of Hoodcroft, LGX, Bull City Bad Guys, and Mental Patience. All of which he was later kicked out of for some reason or the next.
After a long and dishonest relationship with hip hop, Bolt decided to go back to his roots. It was on those car trips to Alabama he remembered listening to John Prine, Robert Earl Keen, Cat Stevens, and James Taylor. The music of his parents was inside of him and began to influence his writing.He started to create music his parents would listen to to gain their acceptance and respect but ended up respecting the music.
Bolt currently lives in Abingdon, VA and working on new music as we read. He has shared the stage with everyone from New Riders of the Purple Stage, Unknown Hinson, JP Harris, Shana Tucker and many others.
December 13 | Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Come one! Come all! Be part of the studio audience for WBCM Radio Bristol's Farm & Fun Time Christmas Ball! Special guests include High Fidelity and The McLain Family Band, plus Kris Truelsen and his host band Bill & the Belles will be on hand to add to the Christmas cheer!
TICKETS
December 13 | Blackbird Bakery
Join Blackbird Bakery to enjoy the powerhouse voice of local Rylee Peters from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm!
December 13 | Quaker Steak and Lube
Daniel will be making his debut acoustic appearance on 12/13.
December 13 | Bloom Cafe & Listening Room
If you’ve seen David Mayfield perform with The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, Jessica Lea Mayfield, or at Bonnaroo, you’ve caught the charisma, the heart, and the comedy, and it's likely you’ll come back for more.
This singer-songwriter, band leader, and Grammy nominated producer stepped out of the sideman shadows with his 2011 album "The David Mayfield Parade" his follow-up "Good Man Down" was self released and funded with a surprising successful Kickstarter campaign that more than doubled its initial goal of $18,000. On the heels of that success, Mayfield has partnered with Compass Records. A label that Playboy Magazine calls "Nashville's hippest alternative label".
7pm doors, 8pm showtime.
$15 advance tickets. $20 night of.
*tickets on sale Friday Nov 8th*
All Ages show.
December 13 | Delta Blues BBQ
The Kevin Wilder Group LIVE at Delta Blues.
December 13 | O'Mainnin's Pub
Below 7 is a modern rock band out of Southwest Virginia playing in the five surrounding states. Check them out at reverbnation.com/below7
December 14 | Kil'n Time Ceramics Studio
Join #KTCrewMember Susan on Saturday December 14th to make a #FusedGlass #ChristmasDish! From 12-2 Susan will teach participants how to use glass tools to cut and shape glass in order to make one of a kind Christmas plates and dishes! Cost is $40 per person and includes all supplies and instruction. Call or message us to reserve your seats!
December 14 | Bristol Public Library
Join the Bristol Public Library on Saturday, December 14, at 2:00 p.m. for a free showing of episodes from .hack//SIGN. Refreshments will be provided! Rated TV-14
Summary:
Tsukasa wakes up inside The World, a massive online role-playing game full of magic and monsters, and finds himself unable to log out. With no knowledge of what’s happening in the real world, Tsukasa must discover how he ended up stuck in the game, and what connection he has with the fabled Key of the Twilight—an item that’s rumored to grant ultimate control over the digital realm.
December 14 | Quaker Steak and Lube
The NAUGHTY ELF PUB CRAWL serves as the last “off day” for Santa’s elves to enjoy themselves before they are forced to do overtime and wickedly long hours to fulfill all of those wonderful toy requests from around the world. What most people don’t realize is that all of us have an elf inside of us, yearning to break free and party also. So with that we invite you and your merry friends to come join us, your fellow elves and Santa for one last HURRAH before their busiest time of year!
The NAUGHTY ELF PUB CRAWL will have a registration point (i.e. Santa’s Workshop, location TBA) where all elves will first visit upon arriving at the pub crawl. There you and your fellow elves will receive your FREE ELF HAT and WORKSHOP APRON (included with all ‘Early Elf’ tickets which is for first 100 tickets purchased online), your event wristband/badge, Santa’s most recent Workshop Newsletter – letting you know what all to expect during the evening, as well as exclusive drink specials, vendor location, contest rules and more so do DO NOT LOSE his newsletter!
You and your fellow elves will wander from venue to venue enjoying each others’s company while also partaking in various Holiday themed drinks (exclusively priced for attendees) as well as food specials while also completing your crawl tasks (as we all know elves love tasks!) At the end of the crawl, after enjoying all tasks noted in Santa’s Workshop Newsletter, you’ll join fellow elves for one last toast at the “After-Party” before heading back to the shop where you’ll be a busy little elf until after the Christmas holiday.
— -> ADV. TICKETS:
• Admission to the 2019 Bristol NAUGHTY ELF PUB CRAWL which also includes no cover at participating pubs (till 9pm)
• Free ELF HAT and WORKSHOP APRON (for first 100 tickets purchased online via 'EARLY ELF' tickets — can be picked up on Dec. 14th)
• Commemorative 1.25" Savannah NAUGHTY ELF BAR CRAWL Pin.
• Exclusive holiday-themed drink/shot specials at participating pubs (NOTE: event badge required to get specials) — TBA
• Free Admission to the NAUGHTY ELF After-Party
• Holiday-themed photo ops
• Santa's Newsletter & task list
• Elf union approved/laminated ELF NAME TAG (customizable)
....plus more!
Confirmed Pubs:
🍺 The Cascade Draft House
🍺 Macado's Bristol
🍺 Quaker Steak and Lube
🍺 Bristol Station Brews & Taproom
🍺 Stateline Bar & Grille
🍺 Lost State Distilling
Ticket Details here.
December 14 | Mercantile on State
Join us this Saturday December 14th from 6-8PM for a Polar express pajama party!! Kids will enjoy a hot cocoa bar, watch The Polar Express movie and have photos with Santa! This event is 15$ per child!
This will be limited seating so Thursday at 8PM is our cutoff! Reserve your spot now! Parents are welcome to drop kids off for a parent night out. Grab dinner or finish Christmas shopping or your welcome to stay and join us! Message us to reserve your spot!
December 14 | Blackbird Bakery
Join us at Blackbird Bakery for the music of Shannan Miller!
December 14 | Quaker Steak and Lube
We are excited to have Sam come play a set on 12/14. Sam is a young and rising talent in the area and you won't want to miss this show!
December 14 | Delta Blues BBQ
Join Delta Blues BBQ for a night of Blues with Billy Crawford!
December 14 | Bloom Cafe & Listening Room
The Kindest People and House Cat return to Bloom Cafe with their lovely friends Day and Dream from Asheville! It’s an early x-mas present from us to you. Don’t miss this awesome line up!
Ticket cost: $5
December 15 | Bristol Train Station
You are cordially invited to the Bristol Historical Association Christmas Luncheon. You could be a lucky winner for one of our free Door Prizes!
Silent Auction!
Program by Michael Shaffer
Guests Welcome
$30 per person
RSVP by December 8th by mailing your check payable to BHA to:
Bristol Historical Association
PO Box 204
Bristol, TN 37621
December 15 | Quaker Steak and Lube
Enjoy lunch with Santa @ The Lube on Sunday, December 15th from 1-4pm. We'll have free kid's meals during the event with the purchase of an adult entree. We won't have a photographer on site, so bring your own camera or cell phone to take pictures.
December 16 | Blackbird Bakery
Join Blackbird Bakery for live bluegrass at 7pm.
December 17 | Downtown Bristol
On Tuesday, December 17th at 6:00 PM, Journey’s End will again take place in Historic Downtown Bristol! Journey’s End is Bristol’s local interpretation of the Latino tradition of Las Posadas (The Inns). Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem is recreated as they go from inn to inn seeking lodging and the final inn welcomes them in and celebrates their arrival.
How does Bristol Celebrate Journey’s End?
Our inns are several downtown businesses and our innkeepers are various choirs and choral groups from the Bristol area. We will begin at the Downtown Center then process by candlelight with Mary and Joseph singing the traditional songs and various carols accompanied by instrumentalists.
Journey’s End lasts a little more than an hour. Restaurants will be taking dinner reservations and several of the downtown shops will be open. Come and celebrate Christmas in the heart of our community!
December 17 | Paramount Bristol
Bristol Virginia Senior Showchoir’s annual Christmas Show is a beloved holiday tradition at The Paramount. This year’s show features holiday magic and pageantry along with familiar songs of the season. The Showchoir’s performance is the culmination of Bristol’s annual “Journey’s End” candlelit procession down State Street. Come enjoy cookies and cider along with a heartwarming performance of holiday favorites. Audiences of all ages are welcome.
Admission is a suggested $5 donation at the door.
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