The Charleston community came together to celebrate the holiday season at Christmas in the Heart of Charleston Saturday night.

Charleston residents gathered in the square downtown to participate in Christmas activities including a parade and a tour of the Charleston Courthouse. Children could also visit Santa at City Hall.

Charleston resident Jeff Ashley said he enjoys the excitement of all the people and kids during the parade.

The parade included two monster trucks with Christmas lights draped over them. After the parade, the monster trucks were parked in the corner so kids can go and check them out.

“It’s not often you see a lit up monster truck in a Christmas parade.” Ashley said.

Charleston residents Justine Decker and Amanda Ward said Christmas in the Heart of Charleston reminded them of being kids again during the holiday season.

They also said they like how the community comes together at this event and they get to see people they do not see often.

Dustha Wahls, a Charleston resident, said she likes spending time with her family during these activities, and she said there were new floats in the parade compared to previous years.

Members of the Charleston High School Choir Maximum Forte performed for the audience as part of the Christmas festivities. The choir sang many different Christmas songs for the crowd after the parade.

“It’s one of my most favorite concerts of the year,” senior choir member Kennedy Tozer said. “ The community shows a lot of support for the program.”

Maddie Barkley, a sophomore and another member of the choir, said she likes the people that come there to support them. She said she likes the decorations at Christmas in the Heart of Charleston.

Duska Cornwell, the Owner of Persimmon Lane, said working during Christmas in the Heart of Charleston is something he looks forward to every year.

“We love it,” Cornwell said. “It makes us feel like a part of the community.”

Persimmon Lane is an antique and vintage store so Cornwell said there is not a huge sale increase during this activity. She said the increase usually comes the week after when people come back to buy something they saw there.

Cornwell said being open during Christmas in the Heart of Charleston is more about interacting with the community.

In addition to Persimmon Lane, other businesses were open to the crowd at Christmas in the Heart of Charleston including Pensees Bookshop, Swanson Jewelry, Plush Boutique, Macs’ Uptowner and many others.

Local businesses also set up stands to sell and give refreshments to those who attended. First Mid Bank had popcorn and hot cider, First Baptist Church had coffee and hot chocolate and Knights of Columbus and the Boy Scouts had roasted chestnuts.

Jordan Boyer can be reached at 581-2812 or jtboyer@eiu.edu.