Renae Hansen | Editor of the New Era
The Halloween pumpkins have disappeared from our front porches, all of the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, and that can only mean one thing…Christmas time is here! Even Mother Nature got caught up in the holiday spirit and covered the area in a blanket of snow to get us all in the right frame of mind as we kick off the official start of the holiday season. And there are plenty of activities to fuel the Christmas flame for all, with several Turner County towns kicking off their festivities this weekend.
A Centerville Hometown Christmas celebration will take place on Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6, with great deals on your holiday shopping taking place at various businesses both days. The Library will be holding an open house both days, with photos with Santa and Kids Goodie Bags on Saturday. The weekend will wrap up with the Celebrate Centerville Community Gala at the American Legion on Saturday night.
Centerville is also holding a Chamber Christmas Light Contest, and residents are encouraged to decorate their homes for a chance to win Chamber Cash. Winners will be announced on December 26. Participating businesses are also taking part in a Chamber Holiday Giveaway, sponsored by the Centerville Chamber of Commerce. The contest started on Shop Small Saturday on November 29 and continues through December 22. Each participating business has donated and will display a prize giveaway, with anything from gift baskets and cards to specialty items worth a minimum of $25 in value. Shop at a local Centerville business this holiday season and enter your name for a chance to win that business’s prize giveaway. Winners will be drawn on Monday, December 22, and a winner will be drawn from all of the names from each business for the grand prize of a Blackstone Griddle donated by Dakota Ace Hardware in Viborg, valued at over $400.
Irene Christmas in the Valley also takes place this Saturday, December 6 with a Community Scavenger Hunt, Business Appreciation, Festival of Nativities at Calvary Lutheran Church, and a Vendor Fair and Silent Auction. The kids have the chance to play free kids games at the Community Center while also getting their photo taken with Santa, and Gregg Davis will be giving hayrides outside. The First Responders will host a soup feed for a free will donation, followed by the crowning of the Prince/Princess and announcement of silent auction winners at the Community Center. The tree lighting will take place at 6:45 p.m. and the evening will wrap up with a showing of The Grinch, complete with concessions, followed by karaoke at the Corner Tavern.
This is the fourth annual Christmas in the Valley. The event is family-friendly and will be a fun time for all. The event brings together churches and organizations in the area to make the event happen, as well as school and community volunteers.
Free will donations collected during the event will go toward supporting more community events in Irene. Watch Facebook for more information about plans for this year’s event, as well as silent auction items and more.
The Irene Community Development Corporation is also sponsoring a residential Christmas Light Decorating Contest, with prizes of Irene Bucks being awarded to first, second and third place winners. The registration deadline has passed but voting takes place December 6-12, with ballots available at Rat Rod BBQ & Bar, Corner Tavern or Merchants State Bank. Votes must be turned into one of those businesses by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 12!
Parker Hometown Christmas will be held on Saturday, December 6.
Saturday, December 6, with activities at the Parker Public Library for all ages including making Christmas ornaments, a come and go snowball fight and a book fair. A Vendor Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community Building, with a lunch stand provided by the Parker Cheerleaders. Make sure to get your picture taken with Santa while at the Vendor Fair! The Parker FCCLA will host a Kid’s Carnival at the school with admission for $3.00 or two non-perishable food items. Hope Harbor will offer tours from 3-6 p.m. with cookies and coffee for guests. Line up for the Parade of Lights, hosted by the Parker FFA, will start at 6 p.m, with the parade starting at 6:30 p.m. There will be a free will donation supper, Community Bingo, and parade prizes handed out in the school gym following the parade.
Viborg Customer Appreciation Day, sponsored by the Viborg Development Corporation and the Viborg Business Community, will also take place on Saturday, December 6. The always popular free pancake and sausage feed will take place at the Community Center, with prize drawings throughout the event. The movie Klaus will be shown at the Lund Theatre, followed by a visit from Santa as well as sacks full of goodies for the kids at the Viborg Public Library. There will be a Scandinavian Craft Fair at the DBS Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Daneville Heritage Museum will be hosting an Open House with entertainment by the Tri-Valley Chorus at 1:30 p.m.
A schedule of these events are included inside this week’s edition of The New Era. We will be covering more upcoming events in the weeks to come, including the Marion Christmas Celebration on December 13 and the Chancellor Last Chance Holiday Fair on December 20.
If you need a little more of a nudge to get your holiday spirit on, here are a few more options to help get you jingling and jangling all the way:
Lund Theatre Christmas Movie Nights will also be taking place throughout the month of December, with movies every Sunday night starting at 6:30 p.m. Movies shown include The Nativity Story, Elf, Jack Frost, It’s a Wonderful Life and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. With the help of their sponsors, these movies will be free will donation, with money going to the Glood Park Improvement Fund, the Viborg Food Pantry and the V-H Backpack program.
Christmas Concerts by Kayla Mehlhaf. Kayla Mehlhaf will once again sharing her vocal talents with area communities, with proceeds from the free will donation going towards local Toys for Tots and Angel Trees. Concerts will take place in Wakonda on December 7, Viborg on December 14, and Irene on December 21. Let Kayla’s angelic voice brighten your holiday spirit while supporting a great cause!