Once a year, the street known as Central Avenue, a main artery for traffic through downtown Sidney, transforms into a festive wonderland of Christmas merriment and fun.
On Nov. 29, the 22nd annual Parade of Lights will take place at 7:00 p.m. along with other activities scheduled to take place during the weekend following Thanksgiving.
The theme this year, in keeping with the abundant oil activity is, Tappin the Christmas Spirit.
The event is sponsored by the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.
“This has really become a tradition for many families in the area. It’s an event people can come to and enjoy during the holiday season,” said LaVanchie Starkey, Administrative Assistant for the Chamber.
To date there are 15 floats signed up to participate in the Parade of Lights. The Chamber is asking anyone interested in participating to R.S.V.P. by contacting (406) 433-1916. Participants are asked to be ready in the ShopKo parking lot by 6:30 p.m. that evening.
Also this year, the Leo Club and a church youth group will be collecting food to be given to the Richland County Food Bank. Parade goers can bring their non-perishable, non-expired food items and toiletries with them and they will be collected by volunteers. Donors will receive a glow-stick for their donation. In 2012 the Food Bank assisted 681 adults and 414 children while giving out 38,881 pounds of food. “We are already matching last year’s numbers and have two months to go,” said Candy Markwald, a volunteer. The Food Bank gives out more than it takes in and is always in need of food items. In October, they assisted 91 adults and 60 children by giving out 4,191 pounds of food while only taking in 3,012 pound of goods.
The parade will begin in the ShopKo parking lot and make its way down Central Ave ending at 2nd Ave near Ray and Reese IGA. Santa will be located in the parking lot giving out candy.
Floats will be judged for 1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place, Best Use of Theme, Best Use of Lights, and Judges Choice, with winners receiving a number of prizes.
On Nov. 30, Sidney will participate in the national Shop Small Saturday, an event promoting the patronage of local small town brick and mortar businesses.
In conjunction with it, area businesses will participate in the 4th annual Scavenger Hunt, a game that enables community members to become better acquainted with the resources and shopping experiences available locally. This promotion runs as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“We want to have long time community members and those who are new to the area shop at stores they never thought about experiencing. The goal of this is really to create an awareness of everything our local businesses have to offer,” said Dana Moos, a business owner and Chamber member.
The game works like this. A participant picks up their card and fills it out. They then make their way to all of the locations listed on the card. At each location they have to locate the Shop Small logo that is visible inside the store. There will be items in each store for them to look at to become better familiar with area businesses. The participant will write down a number of codes given to them at the respective locations and will leave their card at the last business they have to visit.
The daylong event is taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those who want to participate can pick up their scavenger hunt playing cards at Best Western Golden Prairie Inn and TriFecta Home Center.
The 1st place winner will receive $100.00, 2nd place will receive $75.00 and 3rd place will receive $25.00 with all winners receiving additional gift certificates. On the following Tuesday, a number of house calls will be made to different participant’s homes. The people who answer their phones will be the lucky winners of other additional prizes.
Children are welcome to participate but must be accompanied by an adult.
Santa will be at Reynolds from 2-4 pm Saturday asking children what they want for Christmas and giving out candy.
On Dec 7 & 8, the MonDak Heritage Center will be celebrating with Christmas on the Prairie, their 26th annual Christmas celebration. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 7 the center will host a free family fun day where youth can create ornaments and enjoy the fun of the season.
On Dec. 8, the Center will host a bake sale, photos with Santa and light entertainment from the Liberty Christian Bell Choir. This is a fundraiser that enables the center to continue providing the community with educational programs for youth and art classes.
“It’s a great opportunity for families to come together and enjoy some of the simpler pleasures of the holiday season. There isn’t a lot of flash and bang. Instead, it’s at the root of just spending time together,” said Benjamin Clark, Executive Director.
Reader Comments(0)