There are barricades on Shallowford Road in front of The Oaks Shopping Center, the center with the Food Lion. According to the Town of Lewisville's Great Wagon Road project page, the North Carolina Department of Transportation closed the road from that storefront to just past the ABC Store starting Monday, Sept. 28, "until further notice." The closure lets crews build a roundabout for the Great Wagon Road project. Through traffic follows a posted US 421 detour, and you can still reach the shopping center from its Williams Road entrance.
That block matters in December. For years the Lewisville Civic Club Christmas Parade has ended in The Oaks parking lot. This year the parade, the tree lighting at Shallowford Square and the town's other holiday nights all happen while the town's biggest road project is underway nearby. If you're driving over from Springfield Farm Road, plan these evenings around the construction.
A second main street, built where a wider road would have gone
The work at The Oaks is one end of something Lewisville has planned for about 30 years. In the town's first Comprehensive Plan, written in the 1990s, council and staff called for a Great Wagon Road running parallel to Shallowford Road. The idea was to handle growth without the usual fix of adding lanes to Shallowford, because the town's founders wanted to keep Lewisville's small-town character. The name comes from the colonial route that settlers took south from Pennsylvania starting in the mid-1700s. That route ran through Lewisville to the Shallowford crossing of the Yadkin River, and travelers often stopped there for the night.
On paper, NCDOT project U-5536 is a new road running from Shallowford Road to Lewisville-Vienna Road, with a roundabout at each end and side streets connecting back to Shallowford. The Town's plans add sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides. The Clemmons Courier called it Lewisville's long-anticipated second main street in a February 2026 headline.
The work is far along but not close to finished. As of January 2026, the Winston-Salem Urban Area MPO's project status report listed U-5536 at 32% complete. Crews were working on utilities, storm drains, curb and gutter, paving, grading and earthwork, and the contract completion date was March 14, 2029. On the same project page, the Town says crews are moving overhead utilities and putting in water, sewer and natural gas lines underground. The Town also expects the project to finish before the 2029 contract date.
The closure at The Oaks is one step in that long-term plan to take traffic off Shallowford, and the work now overlaps with the town's busiest stretch of the year.
Dec. 4 is the night the work zone matters most
The first Friday in December is Lewisville's biggest holiday night, and it has two parts.
From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., the Town holds a Holiday Open House at the Mary Alice Warren Community Center. It's a drop-in event with games, coloring sheets for younger kids, holiday punch and hors d'oeuvres. Then at 7 p.m. sharp, the countdown starts and the Town lights the live tree at Shallowford Square, with carolers. The Lewisville Civic Club serves hot chocolate and cookies, and the Town's November–December 2026 newsletter says Santa is expected to stop by. The Town's special events page says Town-sponsored events are free.
Shallowford Square sits along the corridor where the Great Wagon Road is being built. The Town has posted parking options for Square events during construction:
- The Public Works Building, across Shallowford Road
- Along Lucy Lane
- The G. Galloway Reynolds Community Center
In the FAQ on its Great Wagon Road project page, the Town says Square events may "look a little different, with extra caution tape and safety markers." If you want both halves of the night, park once and arrive before the 4:30 start so you're set before the open-house crowd heads to the Square for the 7 p.m. countdown.
The 41st parade, rerouted around the work
The Civic Club's Christmas Parade is on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. It's the 41st year. Expect floats, high school marching bands, classic car clubs, dance groups and Santa at the end.
The route is where the construction shows up. Last year the parade started at Shallowford and Lewisville-Vienna Roads, went down Shallowford through Uptown and past Shallowford Square, and ended at The Oaks. The Civic Club's 2026 press release announces a rerouted version:
"The parade point of origin is at the intersection of Shallowford Road and Conrad Circle. The parade proceeds down Shallowford Rd, then ends at The Oaks Shopping Center on Williams Road. This route is necessary due to continued road construction and improvements throughout town."
So the parade still finishes at The Oaks, the same block NCDOT closed in September for the roundabout. Some practical details from the release:
- Roads into Lewisville close to traffic at 2:30 p.m., and law enforcement and the Parade Director decide when they reopen.
- Signs, cones and barricades go up the day before, on Saturday, Dec. 12. The Civic Club asks people to leave them in place unless law enforcement, parade marshals or the Parade Director say otherwise.
- The parade isn't over when the last float passes you. It ends when the Parade Director's or law enforcement vehicle behind the Santa float goes by. Until then, don't try to pass or cut across any parade vehicle.
The Civic Club posts parade updates on a new Facebook page, The Lewisville Civic Club Christmas Parade, which is different from the page it used in past years. Check that page or the Civic Club's parade page the week of the parade to confirm the starting point and road closures before you pick a spot.
If your group, business or car club wants to be in the parade, the entry deadline is Dec. 9. There's no entry fee, and donations are welcome. "For those interested in participating in the parade, now is the time to sign up," Parade Director Maureen Barton said in the Civic Club's press release. Entry forms are on the Civic Club's website or at Town Hall. All entries have to be mailed by USPS or turned in at Town Hall.
Five dates between Thanksgiving and the parade
Lewisville's holiday events are in the middle of a busy two weeks for the Clemmons side too. In order:
- Tuesday, Dec. 1, 5:30–7:30 p.m.: Clemmons Annual Tree Lighting at Village Hall, 3715 Clemmons Rd. The Village holds it every year on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, with snowfall, music, cookies and Santa. Each year a local family is chosen to light the tree. It's the closest of these events to Springfield Farm Road, and it doesn't involve any of the Lewisville construction.
- Friday, Dec. 4: Lewisville Holiday Open House, 4:30–6:30 p.m., then the Tree Lighting at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 5–7 p.m.: Winston-Salem Ambassadors Holiday Parade on Fourth and Liberty streets downtown, if you want to see a parade a week before Lewisville's. The Ambassadors' parade page has the details.
- Friday, Dec. 11: Holiday Movie Night with Elf at the Mary Alice Warren Community Center. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the 97-minute PG movie starts at 7. Registration is free and open now. The Town says to wear holiday pajamas or sweaters and bring blankets or sleeping bags if you like. Chairs, hot chocolate, cookies and popcorn are provided.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 3 p.m.: the 41st Lewisville Civic Club Christmas Parade. Roads close at 2:30.
There's a second roundabout project to keep in mind if you drive to Lewisville by way of Robinhood Road. The Town is turning the signalized intersection of Lewisville-Vienna Road and Robinhood Road into a single-lane roundabout. Construction started in spring 2026 and is expected to wrap up in spring 2027. You can follow both projects, including any change to the closure in front of The Oaks, on the Town's Robinhood roundabout and Great Wagon Road project pages.
If you're working out how much the Great Wagon Road and the Robinhood roundabout will change your trips between Springfield Village and Lewisville, give the Banner Team a call. We follow these western Forsyth projects as they move along and are happy to talk through what they mean for your part of town.
