Caroling on The Circle and Christmas parade set Dec. 5

Sussex County government officials announced the 41st annual Caroling on The Circle will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5, on the main stage in front of the Sussex County Courthouse. After an inaugural pairing in 2023, Caroling on The Circle will again serve as the lead-in to the Town of Georgetown’s tree lighting and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade, giving spectators and participants nearly three full hours of holiday cheer and community fun in one night.

Each year, the community singing event is part of a food drive for hungry families in Sussex County. Along with the support of area schools, businesses and civic organizations, hundreds of residents turn out to sing Christmas carols and deliver canned good donations for area pantries, churches and food banks.

The food drive runs from early November through the end of December each year.

In 2023, the food drive collected more than 18,000 items for nearly 20 organizations. County officials aim to collect as many or more in 2024, teaming up with the chamber and the Food Bank of Delaware, new this year, to encourage the community to do its part to pack the pod, a 14-by-7-foot portable storage shed set up at The Circle to be stocked with food items for local pantries.

Since its inception in the 1980s, Caroling on The Circle has raised approximately 800,000 items for local food pantries and families in need in Sussex County.

County Administrator Todd Lawson said Caroling on The Circle is a fixture on the holiday calendar, like the annual parade, and having both together again this year makes it easier for busy, on-the-go families to enjoy the celebration. Also, county organizers hope partnering with the Food Bank of Delaware for assistance with distribution, as well as adding an online giving component, will boost the overall effort to benefit households in need.

“Last year was a resounding success, and we want to continue to ride that energy and excitement that we felt with caroling and the parade happening all on one night,” Lawson said. “It really amped up the holiday spirit. And by working with our friends at the Food Bank, whose mission is to feed those in need in Sussex County and across the First State, we’re looking to continue caroling’s success this year and in the years to come.”

As always, the historic Sussex County Courthouse and picturesque traffic circle will serve as the backdrop for an evening of traditional and Spanish carols. Festivities will feature local singing artists Kevin Short and Ed Shockley, as well as performances by the St. Michael’s Children’s Choir and El Centro Cultural group.

All of the evening’s events are free to attend; participants are asked to bring nonperishable food items for donation during Caroling on The Circle.

Food items will be collected that night at the pod on The Circle, but donations can also be dropped off until the end of December at the County Administrative Offices building next to the courthouse in Georgetown. Receptacles will be available outside the county complex, allowing the public to make drop-offs 24 hours a day throughout the holiday season. Staff will routinely collect items and pack the pod before supplies are distributed to pantries.

Community members can also drop off donations at the Food Bank of Delaware’s partner location, the Home Depot off Coastal Highway near Lewes, or make a monetary donation online, with every dollar leveraging food that will stay in Sussex County. For more information, go to give.fbd.org/caroling or call 302-855-7700.