Local communities are hosting events to kick off the holiday season. Workers are hanging garland from phone poles, lighting up town halls and inviting folks to celebrate tree-lighting ceremonies.

Here's a list of local festivities taking place this week:

Benson

The town's Christmas on Main event is from 6 till 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in downtown. It features a parade, tree lighting and entertainment.

Starting at 4 p.m., a local radio station will spin Christmas tunes at the corner of Main Street and U.S. 301. Most of the action gets going at 6 with the tree lighting and music from the Benson Elementary School chorus.

The parade gets moving at 6:50 p.m. and runs from U.S. 301 down Main Street. Kids taking part in a bike-decorating contest will get to ride their bikes in the parade. This year will also offer a pet-decorating contest. Participating pets and their owners are also invited to join the parade. Santa Claus will be in the parade and will visit with kids afterwards.

After the parade, dance troupes and Little Miss Benson will provide entertainment at the corner of Main and Market streets, and the movie "The Polar Express" will be shown in the W.J. Barefoot Auditorium, 303 E. Church St.

Bentonville

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site will hold its Christmas Open House from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.

The event aims to give visitors a sense of what life was like for the Harper family at Christmas before the Civil War turned their home into a field hospital. The house will be decorated for the season, and activities include making paper Christmas ornaments and popcorn and cranberry garlands and listening to period music.

Soldiers will be on hand to give musket demonstrations, perform small-arms drills and discuss their daily life during the war. Cider and cookies will be served.

The site is located at 5466 Harper House Road in the Bentonville community.

Clayton

The town will light its Christmas tree at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, on Town Square, at the corner of Main and Fayetteville streets. Main Street will close for music and business open houses. The town's Christmas parade will step off at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, on Main Street.

Cleveland

The Cleveland community will celebrate Christmas on Thursday, Dec. 3, with a tree lighting and free photos with Santa Claus.

The event is sponsored by the Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and runs from 6 to 8 p.m. in the parking lot of Fit for Life Health Club, located at the corner of Professional Court and Technology Drive off of N.C. 42.

Santa will arrive in a fire truck from the Cleveland Fire Department. Chamber members will be doing giveaways, and hot chocolate and cider will be available. There will also be a bounce house and caroling.

This year, the event includes a toy drive. Residents are asked to bring an unwrapped toy, which will be given to the military families at Fort Bragg.

Four Oaks

A tree lighting and Santa House starts at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in downtown Four Oaks. The town's Christmas parade follows at noon Saturday, Dec. 5, on Main Street.

Kenly

The town will hold its parade at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3. The parade route is N.C. 222/Second Street from Grady Park to Piggly Wiggly.

Santa Claus will headline the parade, which will feature several Sudan Shriner groups, four or five marching bands, business and church floats and classic cars. Food vendors will be on hand.

The Tobacco Farm Life Museum will hold its Old Fashioned Christmas Open House from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and from 2 till 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.

The museum will be decorated for the season with Depression-era ornaments, and light refreshments will be served. Artist Horace Raper will give painting demonstrations and sell prints. On Saturday, the Smithfield-Selma High School choir will perform and blacksmith Amos Tucker will give a demonstration. On Sunday, Santa Claus will pay a visit to the museum.

For more information, go online to tobaccofarmlifemuseum.org or call 919-284-3431. The museum is located at 709 Church St., Kenly.

Meadow

The Meadow Lights display is under way for another year. The large showcase of Christmas lights also features a carousel and an old-fashioned candy store. Santa Claus will be at the store every night through the season.

Roy Johnson and his family have been putting on the display for the past 29 years. Johnson said they start putting up the lights at the end of September.

"It takes us about a month and a half," he said.

The event continues through Dec. 31. The display is lit Sunday through Thursday from 5 till 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 till 11 p.m. The lights are along Godwin Lake Road, T-Bar Road and Holly Grove Church Road in the Meadow community.

For more information, go to meadowlights.net.

Smithfield

The town and county will light their Christmas tree at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, in front of the Sheriff's Office on South Third Street.