Calendar of events: turkey trot, Thanksgiving meals, tree lightings and more

If you would like to submit an item to be placed in the calendar of events, please email producers@theaugustapress.com.

Ongoing

• The Hawk Law Group is accepting applications for “Hawk Helps,” an initiative for families struggling with bills during the holiday season. The public can nominate deserving families by going to hawkhelps.com by Nov. 25. Gifts will be distributed before Christmas.
• Evans on Ice will run through Jan. 15, 2024 at Evans Towne Center Park. For more information, visit https://evansonice.com.  
• Visitors can experience Christmas during the American Revolution at the annual Christmas at Meadow Garden, the Augusta home of George Walton. On Dec. 1-2, guests can enjoy a candlelight open house and explore the holiday traditions of the 18^th century. Click here for more information or call 706-724-4174.
• Bela Family Dentistry will donate a smile makeover to a veteran. To nominate a veteran, submit a photo of his/her smile and a short nomination story at https://www.beladentistry.com/veteran-smile-makeover/. The nomination deadline is Dec. 18, and the winner will be announced on Dec. 25. Bela Family Dentistry locations include Augusta, Aiken, Edgefield, Wagener, Lexington, Newberry and Columbia, S.C.
• The Holiday Market at the Marina will start Nov. 12 and will be held every Sunday through Dec. 17 from noon to 4 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 20

• A performance of The Nutcracker will take place at the Miller Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. For tickets, visit https://millertheateraugusta.com/event/nutcracker-magical-christmas-ballet-2/miller-theater/augusta-georgia/.

Thursday, Nov. 23

• Kick off Thanksgiving with the Aiken Turkey Trot 5k and one-mile fun run will take place from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at 651 Old Airport Road Aiken, S.C. For more information, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Aiken/AikenTurkeyTrotand1MileFunRun2023.
• The annual Blessing of the Hounds will take place from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Aiken Hounds. For more information, visit https://www.theaikenhounds.com/copy-of-upcoming-events.
• The Salvation Army of Augusta will hold Thanksgiving dinner at the Center of Hope, 1384 Greene St, Augusta. The meal will start with serving the shelter clients and at 5:30 p.m. the doors will open to welcome anyone in the community who wishes to come.

Friday, Nov. 24

• The Edgefield town tree lighting will take place in the Edgefield Town Square from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.exploreedgefield.com/event/edgefield-town-tree-lighting.
• A performance of The Nutcracker will be held at the Imperial Theatre at 7 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.imperialtheatre.com/events/.

Saturday, Nov. 25

• Christmas in the Back Country at Living History Park in North Augusta (Saturday after Thanksgiving; https://colonialtimes.us/public-events/.
• Palmetto Peach half marathon, 10k and 5k will be held. The race will start and end at SRP Park. For more information, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/NorthAugusta/PalmettoPeachHalfMarathon.  
• The Town of Salley’s Chitlin Strut will begin at 8 a.m. with the parade taking place at 10 a.m. There will be live music, food vendors, craft vendors and more. For more information, visit the Town of Salleyhttps://www.facebook.com/townofsalley Facebook page. 
• Small Business Saturday Crawl will take place in downtown Augusta from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. As part of Small Business Saturday, many local downtown businesses will be offering sales. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/305146262291884. 
• Find the perfect gift at the Christmas crafts at the Aiken Farmers Market starting at 7:30 a.m. 115 Williamsburg St SE, Aiken, SC 29801. For more information, visit https://www.visitaikensc.com/event/aiken-county-farmers-market-2023-11-25/. 
• Performance of The Nutcracker will be held at the Imperial Theatre at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.imperialtheatre.com/events/.

Sunday, Nov. 26

• Christmas tree lighting service at Church of the Good Shepherd will take place at 6 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/911130700463834/?active_tab=discussion.
• Performance of The Nutcracker will be held at the Imperial Theatre at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.imperialtheatre.com/events/.
• Performance of The Nutcracker will be held at the Imperial Theatre at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.imperialtheatre.com/events/.

Tuesday, Nov. 28

• The North Augusta Tree Lighting will be held. Following the tree lighting will be a cocoa and cookie crawl. For more information, visit the Downtown North Augusta Facebook page. 
• The Feral Swine workshop, sponsored by Columbia County SWCD, McDuffie County SWCD, and Lincoln County SWCD, will be held at the Lincoln County UGA Extension office located at 2080 Rowland-York Drive, Lincolnton, GA 30817. There will be speakers and a demonstration with a hog trap. Dinner check-in begin at 5:00 pm. Registration is required. To register, visit https://www.gacd.us/events/2023/11/28/feral-swine-workshop-with-columbiamcduffielincoln-counties.
• A Charlie Brown Christmas live on stage will be at 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center. For tickets, visit https://www.thecenterofcc.com/event/a-charlie-brown-christmas-live-on-stage/.
• The Augusta Players present The Snow Queen at the Miller Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show will start at 7 p.m. For tickets, visit https://millertheateraugusta.com/event/the-snow-queen/miller-theater/augusta-georgia/.

Thursday, Nov. 30

• The Fort Gordon Christmas Festival and Tree Lighting will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Fort Gordon. For more information, visit https://eisenhower.armymwr.com/view-event/christmas-festival-and-trees-troops/6241574/82072. 
• Thomson Christmas tree lighting will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Thomson Depot. For more information, visit visitthomasga.com. 
• Town of Jackson tree lighting will be held at the Jackson Community Center, 104 Main St., Jackson, S.C. The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the tree lighting will take place at 6 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.jackson-sc.gov/news-events. 
• Sip and Shop will take place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Evans Towne Center Park. There will be food vendors, shopping vendors and more. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ExperienceColumbiaCounty. 
• Come see Mean Girls the Musical at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. The show is based on the hit movie “Mean Girls.” For tickets and more information, visit https://www.thecenterofcc.com/event/mean-girls/.

Friday, Dec. 1

• The Christmas Craft Show will be held over two days at the Odell Weeks Activity Center in Aiken from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.cityofaikensc.gov/christmascraftshow/.
• The Aiken Christmas tree lighting ceremony will be held on Newberry St. SW in downtown Aiken on Friday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. For more information, visit the City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Facebook page. 
• North Augusta Tour of Homes will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. Five homes are part of the tour. For more information, visit https://natourofhomes.org. 
• Town of Dearing tree lighting will take place at 6 p.m. at the Dearing Walking Track, 4683 Augusta Highway, Dearing. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/TownofDearingGa/videos/757918986163547/.
• The Aiken Civic Ballet will perform The Nutcracker from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the USC Aiken Etherredge Center at 471 University Parkway, Aiken, S.C. For more information, visit https://aikenballet.org.

Saturday, Dec. 2

• The Christmas Craft Show will be held over two days at the Odell Weeks Activity Center in Aiken from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.cityofaikensc.gov/christmascraftshow/.
• The 49^th annual City of Grovetown Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas parade will be held at 10 a.m. The parade will start at Augusta Tech’s Columbia County campus off Horizon South Parkway and end at Grovetown Middle School on Harlem Grovetown Road. For more information, visit the City of Grovetown website or call the Grovetown Leisure and Recreation Department at 706-863-4576, ext. 307.
• Grovetown Christmas Festival will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Liberty Park. There will be vendors, live entertainment, a train ride and the Christmas tree lighting. For more information, visit the City of Grovetown website or call Grovetown Leisure and Recreation at 706-863-4576, ext. 307.
• The Aiken Christmas parade will be Saturday, Dec. 2 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in downtown Aiken. For more information, visit https://www.visitaikensc.com/event/downtown-christmas-parade/.
• Tinseltown Forest will take place at 336 Georgia Ave. in North Augusta from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Enjoy fresh cut fir trees and wreaths, s’mores, beverages and more. For more information, visit the Downtown North Augusta Facebook page. 
• North Augusta Tour of Homes will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. Five homes are part of the tour. For more information, visit https://natourofhomes.org. 
• Jingle Jam 10k will be held at 8 a.m. starting at Evans Towne Park. This will be the final year for the race. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/jinglejam10k. 
• New Ellenton Christmas parade will be held at noon on Main Street in New Ellenton, S.C. For more information, visit https://newellentonsc.com/new-ellenton-christmas-parade-2023/.
• The Aiken Civic Ballet will perform The Nutcracker from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the USC Aiken Etherredge Center at  471 University Parkway, Aiken, S.C. For more information, visit https://aikenballet.org.
• GVW Christmas parade will take place at 3 p.m. For more information, visit the GVW Fire Department Community Services Facebook page. 

Sunday, Dec. 3

• Christmas in Columbia County will take place at 3 p.m. The holiday market will begin at 1 p.m. and the tree lighting will take place at approximately 6:15 p.m. For more information, visit columbiacountyga.gov.
• The North Augusta Christmas parade will be at 3 p.m. in downtown North Augusta. For more information, visit the North Augusta Lions Club Facebook page. 
• The 50^th annual Edgefield Christmas parade will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.exploreedgefield.com/event/50th-annual-edgefield-christmas-parade-1.
• Town of Jackson Christmas parade will take place at 2 p.m. on Highway 125 in Jackson. For more information, visit https://www.jackson-sc.gov/news-events.
• Joye to the World holiday concert will take place from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the USC Aiken Etherredge Center. For more information, visit https://www.joyeinaiken.com. 

Saturday, Dec. 9

• Christmas in Harlem will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9 in downtown Harlem. Vendors will be out from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the parade will be at 6 p.m. and the tree lighting will take place at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit harlemga.org or Facebook.
• Thomson Christmas parade will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. For details, visit visitthomsonga.com.
• Wagener Christmas parade will be held at 11 a.m. For more information, visit https://www.wagenersc.com/event/hometown-holiday-christmas-parade-0.
• The Augusta Christmas parade will take place at 1 p.m. in downtown Augusta. For more information, visit the Facebook event. 

Friday, Dec. 15

• The Augusta Ballet will present The Nutcracker at 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center. For tickets, visit https://www.thecenterofcc.com/event/augusta-ballet-presents-the-nutcracker/.

Saturday, Dec. 16

• The Hoofbeats & Christmas Carols parade will take place in downtown Aiken. Visit the Hoofbeats & Christmas Carols parade Facebook page for details.
• The Nutcracker Tea will take place at the Aiken Historical Museum at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Parents and children can dress up and meet cast members of the Aiken Civic Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.tickettailor.com/events/aikencivicballetcompany/1058444?ref=website#.

Sunday, Dec. 17

• The Nutcracker Tea will take place at the Aiken Historical Museum at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Parents and children can dress up and meet cast members of the Aiken Civic Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.tickettailor.com/events/aikencivicballetcompany/1058444?ref=website#.
• The Harlem Globetrotters World Tour will take place at 5 p.m. at the James Brown Arena. For tickets, visit https://www.augustaentertainmentcomplex.com/events-tickets/.