The Christmas season will get into full swing Saturday, with an entire day of activities planned in Carroll and Montgomery counties.
The morning kicks off with Donuts with Santa, sponsored by the Carroll Academy Playground Committee. It will be held at the Carrollton Community house from 8:30 until 10:30 a.m. Cost is $10 per child which inclues breakfast, face painting, an ornament (made by the child) and reindeer food. A professional photographer will be on hand to take Santa pictures for $20 or you may take your own.
Then at 11 a.m., the annual Vaiden Christmas Parade will draw hundreds to line the streets for a glimpse at local officials, amazing floats, and some pretty spectacular marching bands. I can watch some of these high school bands perform all day!
At 3 p.m., the Carrollton-North Carrollton Christmas Parade will march through the two towns, showcasing entries themed from classic Christmas movies. There are plenty of places for spectators to settle in for the show from the Carrollton Square to Main Street in North Carrollton.
From Carrollton, make your way east to Kilmichael for its annual Christmas Parade. What I love most about the Kilmichael Parade is that most spectators gather in front of the town’s storefronts, on either side of the street, so you can enjoy the festivities with several hundred friends or newly-made friends.
Following the parade, the switch will be flipped and the 2018 Christmas on the Square will come to life. For those of you who have never visited the Kilmichael square during Christmas, you are really missing out. This isn’t a drive-by-in-your-car Christmas light display. This is a take-a-closer-look-walking-experience kind of display. There is so much to see, a second trip is necessary.
On Monday night, the Winona Christmas Parade is set for 7 p.m. I don’t think I’ve ever missed a Winona Christmas parade in my 11 years in this community, and I always have a great place to watch – just outside the newspaper office’s front door.
This year, the theme is “Angels Among Us,” and some of these float aficionados completely amaze me with what they create. The competition between the float entries is fierce but good natured, with spectators cheering on their favorites.
Who will the big winner be this year? You will have to come out to see.
Also, a big reminder to parents of children third grade and under, the annual Christmas Pajama Parties will be held next Tuesday and Thursday nights, with pre-school and kindergarteners gathering Tuesday and first through third graders gathering Thursday. This is one of my favorite events of the entire year. My five-year-old loves it too! There are always great activities, crafts, and songs, and yes, I do love this event as much as Dean. It is a wholesome, family-friendly, surrounded-by-books event at the public library. What isn’t there to love?
So, for those people who have said there is never any fun things to do in this community, I must protest. If you can’t have fun here at home this week, we should talk. Have fun and stay safe!
