The Christmas spirit will be in the air the next few weekends as Main Street Bowling Green hosts its annual “Holly-Days” to kick off the holiday season.
Starting on Friday, Main Street Bowling Green and participating stores will host various events throughout the upcoming weekends, all free of cost.
The whole city is becoming involved through local business events and sales opportunites.
Earlene Kilpatrick, director of Main Street Bowling Green, sais she hopes “Holly-Days” will bring people into the streets of the city.
“I encourage people to come on and shop and dine in locally-owned companies,” Kilpatrick said.
This Veteran’s Day, the Wood County District Public Library is hosting the opportunity from noon to 5 p.m. for creative minds to decorate ornaments for both the community tree outside the library and trees at home.
But that’s just the beginning of the Christmas celebration.
At 6:30 p.m., the Bi-Sate Sterling Truck Center and Verizon will sponsor carriage rides through the streets of downtown, ending at 9 p.m.
Traditionally, no Christmas is complete without the lighting of the tree.
Friday’s main event begins at 6:45 p.m. with community decorating of the tree outside the library.
Donuts and refreshments will be available and the Bowling Green High School’s Madrigals – a group of local singers – will set the mood of the evening.
The holiday spirit doesn’t end just then, either.
Saturday’s festivities begin with Grounds For Thought offering a coloring station for young children starting at 10 a.m. and “Make-n-Take Bookmarks.” Here, participants can create bookmarks free of cost, at noon.
Scrappin’ on Main is also getting involved by hosting, “Make-n-Take Holiday Cards,” where the public can use their creativeness again, for holiday cards.
Scrappin’ on Main got involved in “Holly-Days” through Kilpatrick and wanting to be more connected with te community.
“We try to stay current with things going on,” one of the store’s owners, Carrie Mancuso, said. “We chose this year to donate to the parade.”
The “Make-n-take Holiday cards,” is open to the public.
One of the biggest features of “Holly-Days” is the resurrection of a historical site, that disects the cities festivites.
The Cla-Zel will open after being closed for months, offering a coloring station starting at 12:30 p.m. “Thomas ‘#38; the Magic Railroad,” will show at 1 p.m., and music will be provided by Lucy Long ‘#38; Friends in the lobby, and again from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Kilpatrick said over 500 people will attend Saturday’s festivities, and 200 to 300 will be there for the lighting of the tree.
Saturday will also be a day of remembrance for the VFW, AMVETS and the American Legion.
The groups are sponsoring a memorial ceremony on the Wood County Courthouse lawn at 2 p.m.
The most anticipated event of the holidays is Santa and the holiday parade which will move through downtown next Saturday at 10 a.m.
The local community and Main Street Bowling Green have come together to get the season kicked off. The city gets an early taste of Christmas this year.
