‘John Parris’ Christmas’ returns to Webster
The Webster Historical Society will present its 4th annual “John Parris’ Christmas” at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Webster Methodist Church.
Curtis and Janice Monteith Blanton will both read the Christmas stories of Parris and the second original Christmas story that Curtis, a Jackson County writer and storyteller, has written just for the event.
Parris, a native of Jackson County, returned to his home in Sylva after World War II when he served in Europe as the war correspondent for the United Press International Association. His first published book was his war experiences, Springboard to Berlin.
After several writing jobs in Western North Carolina, Parris took on the assignment for the Asheville Citizen-Times of a column named “Roaming the Mountains.” For years, he roamed and wrote about life and people, both early and present in Southern Appalachia. His stories earned him many journalism awards and the first presentation of the Western Carolina University Mountain Heritage Award.
