Parde of Lights is Dec. 3
The 22nd annual Christmas Parade of Lights will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, around the Holton Town Square, it has been reported.
After the parade, Santa Claus will be available to meet with children at his workshop set up on the south side of the Jackson County courtyard next to the gazebo.
Law enforcement, emergency personnel, city and county departments, area clubs, service organizations, churches, businesses, school groups and families are all encouraged to participate in the annual light-up parade that features vehicles and floats covered in Christmas lights. School floats are also encouraged and welcomed.
Line-up for the parade starts at 5 p.m. along New York Avenue, just north of the downtown Casey’s.
Participants are encouraged to be creative with their entries and light up vehicles, floats, farm machinery and other methods of transportation with holiday lights.
The Farmers State Bank will provide the $50 in Chamber Bucks prize for Best Religious Entry. GNBank will provide a $50 gift certificate for the Best Club or Organization Entry. The Holton Recorder will provide $50 in Recorder Bucks as a prize for the Best Business Entry.
To sign up your group, business or family for the parade, contact The Holton Recorder at 785-364-3141 or send an e-mail to holtonrecorder@giantcomm.net. There is no charge to participate.
Several other events are planned that Saturday by the Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Holton to celebrate the holidays.
A Christmas Homes Tour will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day in Jackson County.
This year’s homes tour will feature Red Rock Guest Ranch in Soldier, the Beau and Kaitlyn Bissitt family home in Holton, the Gary and Patty Sorensen Barn in Holton and the Caleb and Ashley Wick family home in Mayetta. The Chamber’s Hospitality Hall will be set up at The Station inside Trail’s Café that day.
Advanced tickets are $15 and can be purchased at all main bank locations in Holton (Farmers State Bank, Denison State Bank and GNBank) and the Chamber office, located at 104 W. Fifth St. on the north side of the Square.
Tickets can be purchased the day of the event for $20 at The Station inside Trail’s Café.
At 5 p.m. that Saturday, Studio 1 Dance Center students will perform to Christmas songs outside on the east side of the Jackson County Courthouse.
The Chamber is also hosting its second annual Holiday Wreath Auction this season.
Last year, six wreaths were elaborately decorated and auctioned off as a fund-raiser for the Chamber.
Local businesses, organizations, families and individuals are invited to decorate wreaths for the public to bid on between Nov. 30 and Dec. 3.
The decorated wreaths are due at the Chamber office on Nov. 28, with online bidding starting Nov. 30, it was reported.
The wreaths will be on display at The Station at Trails Café on Dec. 3 where bidding will continue through the start of the parade.
Santa’s workshop is coming back to the Holton Square this Christmas season, and there will be several opportunities for area children to meet with and have their photo taken with the jolly elf for free.
Santa’s workshop, which is hosted by the Chamber, will be open from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each Thursday in December – Dec. 1, 8, 15 and 22 – for children to meet with Santa for free.
The workshop will be located outside on the south side of the Jackson County courtyard next to the gazebo.
During the Thursday evenings, parents are encouraged to bring their cameras to take photos of their children with Santa as no professional photographers are being hired for the evenings.
In addition to the Thursday nights, Santa’s workshop will be open on Saturday, Dec. 3, after the Christmas Parade of Lights.
For more information about Chamber activities, call the Chamber at 785-364-3963.
