ELLERBE — Christmas officially got underway Friday evening in the northern Richmond County town as Ellerbe celebrated its annual Hometown Christmas event.
Mayor Lee Berry, who has been in that position for five years, said his first year in office the town only lit the Christmas tree situated in the park located just off Main Street. Berry acknowledged just how important an event like this is to a small community.
“What really makes us wanna do it is when we have the parade, and we get the 2,500, 2,800 people out here. I think everybody would love to move to Ellerbe if they could build enough houses,” he said. “It just means a lot for people to come to the small town. I always preach that Ellerbe is the leader in ag, and ag’s the leader in Richmond County, so this is where it all starts — in this small town.”
Inside the Ellerbe Fire Department building, which is connected to the town hall, entertainment was provided throughout the night, hot dog plates were available for purchase, kids could visit Santa Claus and tell him what they’d like for Christmas and different items were raffled off.
City councilman Jeremy McKenzie was one of those helping to get people to sign up to win prizes, but like Berry, he also talked about how important the Hometown Christmas is to Ellerbe.
“We’re just thankful that the citizens are able to come out and enjoy the holiday season with us, and we’re having a good time cultivating this holiday season,” he said.
Meanwhile back on the playground, the Mineral Springs School choir sang as the tree was lit up for all to see while Berry, other city council members and Richmond County residents enjoyed the atmosphere. Once the tree was lit, Berry encouraged everyone to venture into downtown Ellerbe and peruse its many antique stores.
“We want you to spend all the money you’ve got in your pockets in Ellerbe tonight,” he joked.
One of those businesses is the Webay Consignment Store, which is owned by Myrna Troxler and has been in operation for 10 years, and is a physical location for people to sell their goods to Troxler who then will sell them online.
“It’s grown,” she said of the event. “More merchants are involved, and more people come out. It gives us the exposure. Every third person says, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this was here.’ It’s a night that people actually come out and enjoy the shops. It always brings a lot of first-time customers, and they come back.”
Berry said that a lot of people, including those in Richmond County, simply don’t know what all is in Ellerbe, and Hometown Christmas gives them that opportunity to discover what the town has to offer.
“It just gives them a time to walk the streets and see what we actually have,” he said. “We wish we could get more vendors to open up, but we’re thankful for the ones that do. We’ve got crafts and antiques, and that’s what we were founded on years ago when the beach traffic came through. It really adds and gives a few extra dollars to the town.”
