A long list of activities will be taking place on Saturday, all in the name of community and Christmas.
The second annual Community Christmas will feature a variety of events throughout town on Dec. 7.
Events range from a free movie playing at the Elite Theatre at 11 a.m., to cross country skiing with the Lakeland Cross Country Ski Club at the golf course.
There will be a skating party at the downtown park in the afternoon, cider and treats at the Hampton Inn, carolling at Sunnyside, a Christmas craft at the museum, an indigenous spirit event and letters to Santa at the library, gingerbread house building at Portage College, and the day will wrap up with a tree lighting at the UFO landing pad.
See this week's Journal for a full list of times and locations for Saturday's Community Christmas.
One of the main event organizers Missy Finlay, says she hopes people will "make a day of it," and take in a number of the activities. While this year is the second annual Community Christmas, it is a bit different than last year's inaugural event.
Last year, a number of events were planned for the same day, but having the museum and a few other events coordinate to the same date has created an even bigger schedule of events.
"There are some real cool new events," says Finlay. Personally, she says she's excited to take in the indigenous spirit event at the library, along with carolling at Sunnyside Manor with her family.
She notes that the buzz created last year around the event is being carried forward this year, and local businesses and clubs have really jumped on board with the idea.
The main idea behind Community Christmas is "building on our positive community . . . (And) coming together as a diverse community," says Finlay.
She says she excited to offer the community more opportunities to be proud and create relationships and connections.
The only two events that have a cost to them are photos with the Grinch, which is a fundraiser for the St. Paul Animal Shelter, and the craft at the museum, which costs only $1 per child. Other than that, the events are free for anyone to attend.
Now that all the times and locations have been set, it's up to Mother Nature to cooperate, since a few of the events - such as cross country skiing and the skating party - will require seasonal weather to ensure all goes as planned.
Finlay says she is looking forward to creating some "really positive connections" on Saturday.
