Festive events fill calendar
Santa and Mrs. Klaus greet children at last year's Polson Parade of Lights.
The hustle and bustle that is the holiday season will kick into high gear this weekend.
Towns around the valley are holding special gatherings to celebrate the season and spread some cheer.
The Polson Parade of Lights, sponsored by the Leader, will move through town beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The annual parade is filled with lights and old St. Nick himself will be joined by Mrs. Klaus to head the parade.
A final stop on Main Street near Glacier Bank will end with the tree lighting. Cocoa, cookies, goody bags and popcorn will be handed out as well.
Float lineup begins at 5 p.m. near Linderman Elementary School. Call Earl at 883-4343 for more information.
In St. Ignatius, the annual festival and tree lighting will also take place on Saturday.
The Fifth Annual Christmas Carnival will start at 2 p.m., and run until about 4 p.m. The tree lighting service will be start at 5 p.m., at the town Christmas tree. Hot drinks and cookies will be served, and a hay ride and caroling will follow the tree lighting.
Ronan is spicing things up this year with hundreds of prizes for its first Holiday Treasures Drawing. Residents who purchase items throughout town are eligible for the drawings.
Subsequent drawings will be at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 on Main Street in front of City Hall.
This year, they are also looking for a Clerk-of-the-Week, someone who explains the Ronan Holiday Treasures program to customers and who works to get tickets to every person who spends money in their business. Mystery shoppers are watching the employees of each business that dispenses drawing tickets to see who should be awarded $50 in Chamber Bucks at each week’s drawing. Clerk-of-the-Week winners are not required to attend the drawings. We will gladly deliver the $50 in Chamber Bucks to them personally.
The 2009 program includes three drawings each Saturday before Christmas, beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Community Bank-Ronan parking lot. This drawing will coincide with the lighting of the bank’s outside Christmas tree. Also at this drawing, the Boys & Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation will draw for the winner of a reconditioned 1967 Ford Mustang Coupe.
Dozens of craft fairs and bazaars are being held as well. See the Community Notes section on A11 for the details.