It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, or at least it will this weekend when Merrill kicks off its annual Christmas celebration!
Christmas activities in Merrill will include:
• 7th Annual Very Merrill Christmas Cards are now on sale at the Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce and Courtside Furniture. Christmas cards, limited edition signed prints and smaller prints are also available at the Chamber while supplies last. Once again Ted Nicholson’s artwork is featured for the 2017 card. Ted has been the artist for the past seven years and has depicted very different Merrill Christmas scene each time. The 2017 print depicts Chip’s Hamburgers.
•Annual Downtown Customer Appreciation – Saturday, Dec. 2: Kick off the holiday season with great shopping specials all day long. Shop keepers will be serving holiday treats and the Merrill High School chorus and band students will provide Music on Main, serenading shoppers on the streets and in downtown stores in the afternoon.
•Annual Lighted Christmas Parade – Saturday, Dec. 2: Parade begins at W. Main and S. Genesee streets at 5 p.m. and ends at the Lincoln County Courthouse. Sixty-plus lighted floats will officially kick off the holiday season.
•Park Lane Manor Luminaria – Saturday, Dec. 2: Immediately following the parade cross the Center Avenue bridge and head to the Park Lane neighborhood across the street from Good Samaritan Hospital for the annual luminaria tour. Thousands of luminaries line the streets of the neighborhood. Drive through in your vehicle or take a wagon ride to view the luminaries and Christmas decorations. Stop in at Assisi Hall at Bell Tower after the ride to warm up with hot chocolate, hot cider, popcorn and cookies and visit with Santa. A free will donation is encouraged.
•O’Tannenbaum Tour – Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 2-3: Enjoy an annual tour of decorated trees filled with magic and wonder at the O’Tannenbaum Tour at St. Stephen’s UCC Church. Plenty of fun for the family; tour the decorated Christmas trees and enter the raffles for the decorated trees, gift baskets and wreaths. Cost, adults $3, children 6-12 $1, under age five free.
•Breakfast with Santa – Saturday, Dec. 9: Start your morning by taking the kids to the Smith Center for breakfast with Santa from 8-11 a.m. Cost is $3 per person. Please register by Dec. 1 by calling 715-536-7313 and be sure to bring your camera for Santa time photos.