FeedsBelleville brings holiday activities
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The Belleville area will celebrate the holidays this year will several activities, including a fun run, nighttime parade, ice sculptures, decorating contest and visits with Santa on Dec. 13.Belleville will welcome the holidays with plenty of activities this year—some old and some new—including a parade, fireworks show and ice sculptures.
A 3K Jingle Bell Run will start the seasonal events at 5 p.m. on Dec. 13. It will start at the Belleville Area Museum and wind through town in an effort to generate about $1,000 for the Van Buren Schools Education Foundation. Entry is $10.
The Christmas night parade will follow at 6 p.m. at Belleville High School. Randy Brown, co-chair of the parade and a member of the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce, will be the emcee this year with the parade Grand Marshal honor going to Dawn Bokon of JT Towing in Belleville.
“We did the night parade last year and it was such a great success we decided to do it again,” said Brown. “There’ll be a lot of groups in it and Dawn (Bokon) even won last year for the pumpkin float with the Grinch.”
The parade, hosted by the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce, will include returning favorites, and of course, Santa who will ride in the Van Buren Township fire truck. Hot chocolate and snacks can be purchased in the school cafeteria both prior to the parade and during the event and free pictures, stockings and candy canes will be given to the children, according to organizers.
Awards for the top floats, the Pat Birbeck Memorial Traveling Trophy and the Grand Marshal Loving Cup, will also be presented. Santa will then light the city tree in front of the museum and accept the key to the tri-community. Following that, he will continue his journey to the First United Methodist Church.
The fireworks show will start at 7 p.m. and a warming tent along the lake by Horizon Park will also be available.
The Belleville chamber will also sponsor a decorating contest for the ‘best business’ on Main Street. The chamber will give each participant a string of lights to help decorate and winners will be announced during the parade.
“We’re trying to promote the downtown and get people to come here,” said Brown. “It’s going to be festive, happy and it’s a good time to be thankful. ‘Tis the season. It’s something fun that people can go downtown to do.”
New this year will be ice sculptures sponsored by area businesses on display along Main Street. Early in the morning, lighted ice carvings will be set up along the parade route, then at 3 p.m., there will be an on-site carving demonstration at the Fourth Street Square.
“We’re going to do a poinsettia flower, but there’ll be all different kinds,” said Jane Vesche, organizer and owner of Main Street Flowers. “Even with the economy, people are rallying together to make this event successful. It’s a fun, winter fest.”
Museum Director Diane Wilson said new this year, too, is a silent auction where two Christmas trees will be donated and auctioned off as a fundraiser for the museum. Bids have already started and will end on the holiday event night.
“One is a Santa tree, which looks like him and has a bag of toys and a train underneath,” said Wilson. “Another one is a ‘Candyland’ tree with over 2,000 pieces of real candy, along with a train underneath, too.”
Wilson said Santa will also make an appearance from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 6 at the museum during the children’s ornament workshop and from noon to 4 p.m. on Dec. 20. During the workshop, children can make five ornaments to take home for $1. There will also be a Christmas scavenger tree hunt.
The chamber Christmas party will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 2 at the Pinnacle racetrack in Romulus. Tickets are $15 and include hors d’oeuvres and 50/50 raffle.
For more information about the ice carvings, contact Jane Vesche at (734) 697-7400 or the chamber at (734) 697-7151 about any of the Belleville holiday events.
