Holly Jolly Holidays is making spirits bright at the Oxford Community Market through a  monetary donation. Holly Jolly Holidays spanned 12 days of ice skating at the Old Armory  Pavilion, December 1-12 and while the ice-skating rink took over one-half of the space utilized  by the Oxford Community Market, Visit Oxford committed to giving back to the local non-profit.  

“When deciding where we could set up an ice-skating rink for two weeks, the Pavilion became  the obvious choice. Knowing that the Community Market utilizes the space on Tuesdays, we did  not want to encroach on that space, but hopefully, enhance the experience,” said Visit Oxford  Executive Director Kinney Ferris. 

On Tuesday December 7, Holly Jolly Holidays partnered with the Oxford Community Market as  the market maintained its normal schedule of operations, being open 3-6:30pm while ice  skating took place on the other half of the Pavilion. The Visit Oxford staff consolidated the ice skating setup so that the market still had plenty of room for its vendors. 

“We recognized that the Community Market could benefit from Holly Jolly Holidays so we  decided to donate a portion of proceeds from skating that took place during the hours of the  market. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of people who came out to skate and so  happy to be able to donate a sizeable amount to the organization.”  

A check was presented to Betsy Chapman, Director of the Oxford Community Market, in the  amount of $500 on Tuesday, December 14. In addition to the monetary donation, Chapman  reached out to Visit Oxford about donating skate passes for a local family who is the beneficiary  of a “Holly Jolly Christmas Surprise.” Chapman explained that her organization is partnering with East St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church to paint their house, bring in new furniture and  provide a Christmas tree. Ferris and her staff were happy to provide skate passes to the family  to get out of the house and do something fun while transformations happened at their house. 

“We are grateful for this contribution which will help support our community-based programs  to improve access to healthy, fresh food and help us continue to provide our community with a  vibrant public marketplace that attracts visitors from across north Mississippi,” said Chapman,  whose organization plays a vital role in the area’s local/regional food system by operating north  Mississippi’s only year-round farmers market every Tuesday from 3-6:30 p.m. at the Old Armory  Pavilion. 

For media inquiries, contact Visit Oxford MS Executive Director Kinney Ferris at kinney@visitoxfordms.com or 662-401-6264.