Gray's Christmas calendar is posted by the Appalachian Fairgrounds at 100 Lakeview St. Between Thanksgiving weekend and the new year, the fairgrounds lists a holiday market, a seniors bingo, a community Christmas party and a strongman competition with names like the North Pole Deadlift Ladder, all on its own grounds. Hands On! Discovery Center at the Gray Fossil Site fills the weekdays and the remaining Saturdays. Put those two schedules side by side and you have most of the season in Gray.
Thanksgiving Saturday Opens the Season in the Farm & Home Building
The first holiday event on Lakeview Street is the Tri-Cities Christmas Market on Saturday, Nov. 28, two days after Thanksgiving. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the Farm & Home Building, which has heat and air conditioning, so the weather won't decide whether you go. Admission and parking are both free.
According to the event listing on Visit Johnson City, shoppers will find handmade candles, jewelry, soap and lotions. You'll also find Christmas décor, dog accessories, boutique clothing for women and children, toys and knives. The homemade food includes fudge, breads, cookies and local honey, and food trucks are on the list too. Door prizes and Christmas photos round out the day.
Appalachian Market Events runs the market and focuses on seasonal markets for regional artisans, makers, food vendors and small businesses. Its vendor page says the 2026 Tri-Cities market is fully booked. Andrew and Abby's Closet Children's Consignment Sale sponsors the market. The listing says plainly that this is not the consignment sale, which held its Fall/Winter 2026 sale at the fairgrounds back in September.
The timing is a plus for families with kids home for the long weekend. Hands On! is closed on Thanksgiving Day, but its Awesome Aviation Discovery Lab runs through Sunday, Nov. 29. That makes Saturday the last day you can do both the market and the paper airplanes.
Hands On! Carries the Weeks Between Fairgrounds Weekends
Once the market packs up, the fairgrounds has a gap of almost two weeks before its next holiday weekend. Hands On! fills that stretch. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is $11 for adults and children 4 and older, and children 3 and under get in free. It closes on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Here is the museum's program lineup from now through early January, from the Hands On! programs page:
| Program | Dates | What it involves | Cost beyond admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awesome Aviation Discovery Lab | Through Sun., Nov. 29 | Paper airplanes, air-pressure experiments | Included with paid admission |
| Nano Science Discovery Lab | Tue., Dec. 1 through Sun., Jan. 3 | Hands-on nanoscience | Included with paid admission |
| Art studio programs | Through Thu., Dec. 31 | Ongoing studio activities | Included with paid admission |
| Holiday family workshop | Sat., Dec. 19, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | "Gingerbread" houses, polymer snow, snow dough | $6 members / $8 nonmembers early-bird; $8 / $10 after Dec. 12 or day-of |
The Dec. 19 workshop is Gray's main holiday craft day, and its pricing depends on when you sign up. Members who register by Dec. 12 pay $6 per person and nonmembers pay $8. After that date, or at the door, the prices rise to $8 and $10, and museum admission is charged on top. For a family of four nonmembers, waiting adds $8 to the workshop cost. The early-bird deadline also falls on the fairgrounds' busiest Saturday, so registering ahead of that weekend is the easiest way to avoid paying more.
The Nano Science lab starts Dec. 1 and runs past New Year's, through Jan. 3. That covers the week after Christmas, when kids are out of school and visiting relatives need something to do on a weekday.
Saturday, Dec. 12 Puts Two Very Different Events on the Same Grounds
On the fairgrounds calendar, Dec. 12 is the busiest date of the month. Two events are listed that Saturday.
The first is the Gray Community Chest Christmas Party. The fairgrounds lists it for that Saturday. The Gray Community Chest is the organization behind the food pantry on Gray Ruritan Drive, which is covered in the last section below.
The second is the Appalachian Christmas Clash, a strongman competition running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weigh-ins are held at the fairgrounds from 9 to 11 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. The organizers are the people behind "Southwest Virginia's Strongest Man" and "The Yard Brawl." It is a Strongman Corporation contest and a qualifier for the 2027 Nationals. Masters athletes can qualify for America's Strongest Master, and teen competitors can qualify for America's Strongest Teen.
The event page on Iron Podium gives every event a holiday name. Athletes compete in Kringle's Max Log, the North Pole Deadlift Ladder, a sandbag steeplechase called the Santa's Workshop Delivery Run, a frame carry called the Reindeer Run, and the Jingle Bell Front Hold for Time. The organizers call strongman "a very accepting and encouraging community" with room for everyone from beginners to pros. They post updates on Instagram at @APPALACHIANCHRISTMASCLASH.
The two events draw different crowds to the same address, and with the Clash running all day, plan for more traffic than usual around Lakeview Street that Saturday.
The Rest of December, Week by Week
The other holiday dates on Gray's calendar fall between the big Saturdays.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1 p.m.: Gray Community Chest Seniors Bingo at the fairgrounds. In March, WCYB reported that the monthly bingo draws hundreds of seniors. The next one is listed for Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 2 to 8 p.m.: The youth Christmas party at Gray Station Baptist Church, 5107 N. Roan St., with a bake-off and gift exchange.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: The Community Chest Christmas Party and the Appalachian Christmas Clash, both at the fairgrounds.
- Saturday, Dec. 19, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: The Hands On! gingerbread, polymer snow and snow dough workshop.
- Wednesday, Dec. 23, 7 to 8 p.m.: The Christmas Eve Eve service at Gray Station Baptist Church.
Laid out this way, the pattern is clear. Every Saturday from Thanksgiving weekend through Dec. 19 has at least one event in Gray, and Hands On! is open on most of the weekdays in between.
The Thursday Hour That Keeps It Going
The Gray Community Chest, whose bingo and Christmas party are on the fairgrounds calendar, has its own building at 113 Gray Ruritan Drive. According to the Gray Community Chest website, its food pantry is open Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. To receive a food box, you need a valid ID, an address in ZIP code 37615 or the surrounding area, and the limit is one box per address. Residents of 37615 who need other help can pick up an application from a box mounted on the building's wall and leave it in the dropbox. The organization meets on the third Tuesday of each month.
Local businesses support it too. The Chest's site credits Jersey Mike's with a $5,500 donation that will help families with food and basic necessities. In September, WJHL reported that Food City presented a donation to the Chest as well. If you're planning to give this season, the Chest's website has a Donate section. The building is also available to rent for birthday parties, baby showers and family reunions, which makes it worth remembering when you're booking a family get-together.
If a December spent between the Farm & Home Building and the Gray Fossil Site has you thinking about how your own place in Gray fits the next few years, Mary Glenn Lively is glad to talk it over. Get your home's free valuation, or schedule a no-obligation consult whenever the holiday calendar leaves you a quiet afternoon.
