The Christmas season officially kicks off this Friday in Westlock.
A wide variety of events are planned for this year’s Westlock Light Up including a parade, a free pasta dinner and fireworks, which are being hosted in the downtown core.
There will also be a visit from the big guy in red himself — Santa Claus.
For town Coun., and member of the Light-up committee, Marjorie Sterling Miller, there’s no question what is the highlight of the evening.
“The parade is always an eventful one,” she said.
“Of course Santa comes out and they’ll be passing out candy.”
Sterling Miller is also a big fan of the hayrides that start shortly after the parade comes to an end and run until around 9 p.m.
“I remember jumping on it myself and having a good time with my grandchildren,” she said.
The entire evening starts at around 5:30 p.m. when the parade kicks off, said Colleen Taylor.
The parade is slated to start at the corner of 100 Avenue and 107 Street, and head south along Main Street to 104 Street. From there it turns east towards the Pembina Lodge, where it ends.
To help keep people warm during the parade, she said hot chocolate will be handed out near the United Church.
Once the parade has wrapped up, fireworks are slated to be set off in the Towne Square park in front of the Saan store. That location is also the starting point for the hayrides.
Pictures with Santa will be taken after the parade at the Saan store.
“Pretty much everything’s happening right downtown here at the Saan store,” Taylor said.
One activity that does not fit that bill is the free swim at the pool.
There is also a free pasta dinner at the United Church, put on by ATB Financial. The dinner runs from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the church basement.
The dinner is one event Sterling Miller said is a great idea for families.
“This is your chance to get the kids out for supper, and you don’t have to pay for it,” she said.
With everything taking place within a few blocks, and within a few short hours, Sterling Miller said there’s no reason why families should not come out for the evening.
“If it’s cold you can still manage throughout it without freezing you little butt off because it’s not going to be six to eight hours,” Sterling Miller said.
Another benefit to the short duration is how easy it is to take everything in fairly quickly before having to get the kids to bed.
“You can go from the supper to the parade to watching the fireworks, and then you can go home,” Sterling Miller said. “It’s a nice little outing for the kids.”
Be sure to check out the special in-paper light up section which starts on Page 13 of this week’s Westlock News.
