Next week, people all over the U.S. will celebrate a holiday made famous by a group of immigrants who stumbled across America and roasted turkey so many years ago. What are they thinking? Christmas time is here again.
The Christmas season is indeed upon us already, and Bowling Green wants everyone to join in the celebration. Main Street BG will be holding their annual Downtown Holly-Days today and tomorrow.
The celebration kicks off tonight at 6 p.m. and will feature the Bowling Green High School Madrigal Singers and a concert from the BGHS Music Department. Horse-drawn wagon rides will begin at 6:30 p.m. and music will be heard all night through the sounds of ASL Audio. Refreshments will be provided by Meijer and Qdoba.
Tonight will be highllighted by the Bowling Green community tree lighting ceremony at 7 p.m., and while it isn’t a tree lighting in Rockefeller Center, Earlene Kilpatrick of Main Street BG said it’s the nicest tree lighting in Northwest Ohio.
The tree lighting will take place on the front lawn of the Wood County Public Library, and will be opened with a few words from Mayor John Quinn. Everyone attending the tree lighting is encouraged to bring an ornament of their own to display on the tree.
The celebration will pick up again tomorrow at 10 a.m. with a holiday parade down Main Street, sponsored by the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce. After the parade, the celebration will continue until 5 p.m. and will offer even more activities than are being offered tonight.
People attending will be able to take advantage of special savings and promotions from local participating merchants, and receive their very own limited edition 2008 Historic Downtown calender.
The Bowling Green Singers will be performing for the crowd. Strolling carolers and other musicians will also be adding to the holiday spirit.
And of course, holiday crafts will be offered throughout the weekend. There will be decerative wreathes, ornaments, and other Christmans decerations ready to be constructed for people in attendance.
The celebrations newest event will be held tomorrow from noon – 3 p.m., which will be sponsored by the Wood County Humane Society and Studio 157. For a small fee, chldren and adults can have thier photographs taken in a picturesque holiday setting with Santa and cuddly animals.
Kilpatrick said the event usually draws roughly 500 to 600 people and attracts the biggest audience during the community tree lighting ceremony.
“It’s a great chance to spend time with family and friends, and experience traditional holiday activities,” Kilpatrick said. She encourages anyone from Bowling Green, and especially anyone who is not from Bowling Green, to attend and get a feeling for a community rich in holiday tradition.
“We never had anything like this in my hometown, so I’m looking forward to going and experiencing it,” freshman Sheena Dicob said.
For Alex Whitman, a freshman who grew up in Perrysburg, Holly-Days is a special event.
“I’ve been to it before when I was younger, I remember having a lot of fun, and would probably say it’s my fondest early childhood memory,” Whitman said.
With horse-drawn wagon rides, a community tree lighting, and the fact that there is a parade, the event promises to be a rich and flavorful holiday experience. The Downtown Holly-Days celebration, as in years past, will help bring a community together and remind all of Bowling Green that it is Christmas time once again, no matter what the calender might say about this coming Thursday.
