HOULTON, Maine — The holiday season is fast approaching and will once again officially be kicked off with a large light parade though Houlton Saturday.
For the second year, afternoon activities will be held throughout Market Square leading up to the parade. According to Jane Torres, executive director for the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, a “Small Town Saturday” shopping event will take place starting at noon.
“We thought we would try to make it a whole day, and hopefully keep people downtown until the light parade,” Torres said.
A section of Market Square will be closed in the morning and a bonfire will be set up to warm shoppers in the afternoon. Holiday music will also be playing throughout the downtown to keep shoppers in the spirit.
Saturday also marks the beginning of the free matinee series at the Temple Theatre, which is another popular draw for families. With the help of business sponsors, the theatre is able to show free matinees, and typically feature family-friendly movies.
Free hot cocoa and cider is also going to be passed out at several area downtown businesses.
The Christmas parade is a tradition that has gone on for longer than most can remember, but has evolved over time. What was once a mid-afternoon parade, complete with marching bands and more, has changed to a nighttime holiday light parade, in which entrants are encouraged to come up with interesting, eye-catching floats using generators to power the thousands of lights adorning their entry.
The popular yuletide event drew an estimated 2,000 spectators last year as colder temperatures kept some folks home. The braver souls bundled up and lined the streets to watch the parade.
Santa Claus will once again be making his way to the Shiretown in the parade and to help illuminate the town tree in downtown Houlton. Again this year, Santa’s elves will be busy transforming the downtown area into a special visiting place for Santa to greet the children. Local merchants will also be open for shopping, and have traditionally reported an increase in business during the light parade.
This year’s theme is “Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes,” which leaves the entries plenty of ideas to work with.
Starting at 6 p.m., the parade begins in the Houlton Shopping Plaza on the North Road and continues down North Street to Market Square. A tree-lighting ceremony will take place at the town Christmas tree in Market Square. After the tree is lit, the parade will continue a short distance to the County Co-Op and Farm Store, where an area will be set up for local children to sit on Santa’s lap and have a photo taken. The remaining floats will continue to the Gentle Memorial Building parking lot. Light refreshments of hot cocoa, cookies and coffee will be available.
Exactly how many floats will be in the parade is a mystery each year. As of Thursday morning, 10 floats have been entered in the parade. Torres said many wait until a day or two beforehand to signup and others simply show up that night. She is hoping to have around 20 entries, which would be the same as previous years.
The following rules apply to those who wish to enter floats:
Commercial entries will be limited to one car or truck, which must be significantly decorated with lights. Vehicles towing floats are excluded from this limitation.
Oversized (not street legal) vehicles must have an adult walking by each wheel.
Walking participants may hand out items to spectators, but throwing items such as candy into the street or crowd is expressly prohibited.
There is no cost to register a float, which will be judged and prizes awarded to the top entries. Those who have not pre-registered may still show up on the night of the parade, but are asked to come by 5:30 p.m. to check-in. For more information, call the chamber at 532-4961.
