The Rice Krispies Illustrator Who Still Sets the Look of Rock Hill's Christmas

"This year's theme reminds us that we all step into something bigger when we choose to carry tradition forward."

That line comes from the ChristmasVille 2026 about page. This year's festival theme is "Old Town, New Memories," and it is drawn from a single illustration, Big Britches to Fill, by Vernon Grant. The Arts Council of York County dates the piece to 1947. The festival runs December 3 through 6 in Old Town Rock Hill, with nearly 70 events.

Most December festivals hire someone to design a new look every year. Rock Hill's comes from one archive that has been here for decades. The man who drew it once managed the city's Chamber of Commerce. And each year, residents who stop by the Arts Council get a vote on which of his illustrations becomes the face of the next festival.

The artist before Rock Hill

Grant was born in Coleridge, Nebraska, in 1902 and spent much of his childhood on a South Dakota homestead. With little else to do there, he made toys and figurines from riverbank clay. Culture & Heritage Museums traces his later gnomes back to those figures. The gnomes often wear oversized clothes and shoes, much as he dressed as a boy. A title like Big Britches to Fill fits that long-running theme.

In 1933 Grant worked with Kellogg's to create the Rice Krispies mascots, Snap, Crackle and Pop. Culture & Heritage Museums says the work led to the largest advertising campaign of its time aimed directly at children. He also painted covers and interior art for Collier's, Judge and Ladies Home Journal.

How he became a Rock Hill civic figure

After entertaining troops with the USO during World War II, Grant moved to Rock Hill with his wife, Elizabeth "Libby" Fewell Grant, and their two young children. For a few years he commuted to New York City for commercial work. In the 1950s he stepped back from commercial art to farm a property called Pinetuck, where he grew grass and raised cattle.

Then he went into civic work. He took jobs with the City of Rock Hill's Housing Authority and the Chamber of Commerce. The Vernon Grant studio biography says he became Chamber manager in 1958. During his years there, Rock Hill created its first industrial park and its Come-See-Me festival.

That background explains why his art still carries weight in town. The illustrator behind the city's best-known festival imagery also helped run the office that promoted the city.

From one man's archive to a festival's look

Grant arranged for his work to stay local. The steps went in this order:

1. The 1970s. Grant named the Museum of York County as the home for his artwork. He loaned pieces for exhibits and for annual holiday cards featuring his Santa Claus images. The museum still makes those cards today.
2. July 1990. Grant died at 88.
3. 2006. After more than 20 years on loan, the collection was formally donated to Culture & Heritage Museums.
4. 2010. Culture & Heritage Museums opened Main Street Children's Museum, a play space built around Grant's world.

Culture & Heritage Museums says the city now holds two annual festivals built around Grant's art, Come-See-Me and ChristmasVille. In a 2018 profile, Visit York County described a committee Grant hand-picked to protect his illustrations and choose art for events such as ChristmasVille and the annual ornament.

So Old Town's December look comes from one locally held collection, managed under arrangements Grant made himself.

The vote that hands 2027 to residents

Residents have a direct hand in this tradition. During the festival, the Arts Council at 121 E. Main St. hosts a free Vernon Grant exhibit with a People's Choice ballot. The illustration with the most votes becomes the featured art for ChristmasVille 2027. The winner is announced at this year's Closing Ceremony. The Arts Council lists the show as "Vernon Grant's Santas," with Santas, skiers, snowmen and winter scenes from his magazine covers.

Earlier votes have already left their mark on Main Street. In 2016, festival organizers started commissioning life-size 3D versions of People's Choice Santa images and placing them in storefront windows. By 2023 the collection had grown to eight models, installed by Showtime Theatre Company. In other words, a vote in one December can show up as a sculpture in an Old Town window in a later year.

Today's ChristmasVille is run by an independent 501(c)(3). The 2026 Festival Chair is Faith Hill, who first volunteered in 2017 and served as vice chair in 2024 and 2025. The 2026 festival is the 21st. The board includes members from Visit York County and the City of Rock Hill.

Where Grant's work is on view the rest of the year

Locals don't have to wait until December to see Grant's work. Here is where it shows up downtown:

• Lowenstein Building, White Street. A permanent wall display walks through Grant's life and career decade by decade, alongside a small exhibit that changes every year. The 2026 exhibit features his technology ads for brands like Packard, General Electric, Eveready and RCA Victor, chosen to fit the history of the building.
• Main Street Children's Museum, 133 E. Main St. A storybook-style play space modeled on Grant's art.
• York County Library, 153 E. White St. Part of the city's Mural Mile, this "Vernon Grant" mural was designed by illustrator Jill Pratzon and painted by Osiris Rain.

The Museum of York County still has a room called the Vernon Grant Gallery. Right now it holds a natural history exhibit, "What's Eating You? Carolina Piedmont Bloodsuckers," rather than his art. If you want to see Grant's work this fall, go to the Lowenstein Building or the library mural.

The calendar from November 1 to the Closing Ceremony

For families, the festival starts more than a month early. The ChristmasVille Gingerbread House Contest and LEGO Build Contest both run November 1 through December 2 at the Center for the Arts, 121 E. Main St. Each costs $10 to enter, and drop-off details are listed as coming soon.

Voting closes at 3 p.m. on Sunday, and the winner is announced at Fountain Park an hour later, a few blocks east on Main Street. If you plan a Sunday stop at the Arts Council in the early afternoon, you can cast a vote and still make the reveal.

Over the same season, the City of Rock Hill lists the Founders Holiday Ice Rink as an Old Town attraction from November through January. For more on how Old Town's calendar works the rest of the year, see our look at Old Town Rock Hill's August weekend, or browse our York County neighborhood guide.

At John R. Bolin, we have watched York County traditions like this one get passed from one generation to the next. A long-held home is often part of that same story. If your family is starting to think about what comes next for a house you have kept a long time, we're glad to talk it through with you, starting with an Instant Home Valuation.