Old Fashioned Christmas takes over downtown this Friday night

By Rob Vogt

The sights and sounds of the season will be all over downtown Claresholm as the 25th annual Old Fashioned Christmas kicks off the festive season this Friday night, Dec. 6.
The event goes from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and is put on by the Claresholm and District Chamber of Commerce, the Claresholm Local Press, and Welcoming Claresholm.
“It’s the official kick off to the Christmas season in Claresholm,” said Amanda Zimmer, publisher of the Local Press.
It will feature businesses open for late-night shopping until 9 p.m. and much more.
After a year in Amundsen Park, Old Fashioned Christmas has moved back to the downtown parking lot.
“Businesses felt it was better, more inclusive,” said Zimmer.
The official tree lighting, by John Cope, this year’s citizen of the year, will take place at 6 p.m.
Back this year is the ATCO stage, featuring Christmas performers reading stories, singing carols, and much more from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Desperado Sound will also be on hand to provide music.
Horse-drawn wagon rides that will take people, free of charge, around the downtown will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. as well, sponsored by Maxwell Capital Realty.
The Welcoming Claresholm Committee will have a Cozy Corner in Ringrose Park between Your Dollar Store With More and Flowers on 49th with treats, photos with Mrs. Claus, and hot chocolate. The Claresholm Palliative Care Committee will be collecting tree of hope donations, and MLA Chelsae Petrovic will have s’more kits available at Cozy Corner. Tim Hortons will also be there with hot chocolate. The Claresholm Fire Department will also have their annual bonfire starting at 6 p.m.
There will be a shopping passport where shoppers can collect stamps from participating businesses with a purchase from those businesses.
Passports are available in the Dec. 4 (today’s) edition of the Claresholm Local Press.
Once the passport has five stamps from different businesses, it can be taken down to the Claresholm Local Press office where it will be entered in a draw for prizes.
The passport program starts on Dec. 6 and runs to Dec. 13.
There is no limit on the number of entries. Shoppers can enter more than one completed passport, as long as each one has five stamps.
A lot of businesses will be staying open late, and their staffs will be dressing up in the spirit of Old Fashioned Christmas.
Santa’s Gone Loonie will take over the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
New this year, the Claresholm Public Library will have a Christmas Tree Festival in addition to offering craft kits for kids.
Over at the Claresholm and District Museum, Charlie Ewing will be performing from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will also be festive displays; kids cookie decorating; free candy bags; hot cider; and treats; and prizes given out for the best yuletide costumes.
Back this year is beef on a bun available at the back of Claresholm Pharmacy, with meat cooked by the Claresholm Lions Club, and all proceeds going to the Claresholm Food Bank.
Stavely’s Unique Character House or SUCH Drama group will be putting on “The Holiday Jukebox” at the Claresholm Social Centre at 8 p.m.
The annual Christmas Cruise, a festival of lights in Centennial Park Campground put on as a fundraiser by the Palliative Care Committee, will start that night as well, at 6 p.m.
The Claresholm Junior “A” Thunder hockey team will be hosting the Vulcan Rampage with the opening face off at 7:30 p.m., and they will be revealing their new mascot that night.
Zimmer invites everyone to come down to Old Fashioned Christmas.
“It should be a really fun night,” she said.